Narrative of the Voyage of H.M.S. Rattlesnake Volume I Part 31

Of the fifty-three species, about thirty-three seem to be new, or to have been so imperfectly described as not to admit of precise identification, and five others have synonyms more or less doubtful applied to them.

Six species only are common to the seas of Europe, namely:

Tubulipora phalangea ?

Crisia denticulata.

Eucratea chelata.

Anguinaria spatulata.

Acamarchis neritina.

Retepora cellulosa.

Sixteen others are met with in other parts of the Southern hemisphere, namely:

Catenicella elegans ?

Catenicella ventricosa.

Eschara lichenoides, occurring in Algoa Bay.

Caberea zelanica.

Acamarchis tridentata, in Algoa Bay and New Zealand.

Caberea lata.

Catenicella hastata.

Catenicella cribraria.

Catenicella cornuta.

Cellularia monotrypa.

Bicellaria tuba, in New Zealand and Emma crystallina.

Emma tricellata, in New Zealand and Campbell's Island.

Thus of the fifty-four species, about thirty-four would seem to be peculiar to the Australian seas. Ten of these belong to the genus Catenicella, and one to the closely-allied Calpidium, three to Didymia and Dimetopia, and one to Diachoris, of which genus two other species are found in the Straits of Magellan.

The method according to which the Polyzoa are arranged, is, in the primary divisions at least, pretty nearly identical with that indicated in the Synopsis of the Families and Genera of Polyzoa Infundibulata, given in Dr. Johnston's British Zoophytes.*

(*Footnote. Volume 1 page 263 2nd Edition.)

A few words, however, will be necessary to explain more particularly the subsequent subdivisions here adopted.

The order, Polyzoa infundibulata, is divided into three suborders, coinciding very nearly with the Tubuliporina, Celleporina, and Vesicularina of the work above referred to, but as the characters of these suborders are derived from the conformation of the opening of the cell, I have thought it more convenient to name them accordingly. The first suborder, having a round, simple opening to the cell, is here termed the Cyclostomata; the second, with the opening of the cell filled up by a usually thin, membranous or calcareous velum, and with a crescentic mouth provided with a movable lip, the Cheilostomata; and the third suborder, which might perhaps include the Halcyonellea of Ehrenberg, as well as the Vesiculariadae, distinguished by the existence of a more or less well-marked fringe of setae (sometimes only rudimentary) around the opening of the cell when the animal is protruded, the Ctenostomata.

The following synoptical arrangement--which it must be remarked, includes only the genera occurring in the Rattlesnake collection--will serve to indicate the subsequent divisions.

SYNOPTICAL ARRANGEMENT OF THE POLYZOA INCLUDED IN THE RATTLESNAKE COLLECTION.

Suborder 1. CYCLOSTOMATA (Tubuliporina).

Fam. 1. TUBULIPORIDAE.

Gen. 1. Tubulipora.

Sp. 1. T. phalangea ?

2. Pustulipora.

2. P. australis, n. sp.

3. Idmonea.

3. I. radians.

Fam. 2. CRISIADAE.

4. Crisia.

4. C. denticulata.

5. C. acropora, n. sp.

Suborder 2. CHEILOSTOMATA (Celleporina).

--. 1. UNISERIALARIA.

Fam. 1. CATENICELLIDAE.

5. Catenicella.

a. fenestratae.

6. C. hastata, n. sp. ?

7. C. amphora, n. sp.

8. C. margaritacea, n. sp.

9. C. ventricosa, n. sp.

10. C. plagiostoma, n. sp.

11. C. lorica, n. sp.

12. C. cribaria, n. sp.

b. vittatae.

13. C. formosa, n. sp.

14. C. gibbosa, n. sp.

15. C. elegans, n. sp.

16. C. cornuta, n. sp.

17. C. umbonata, n. sp.

c. inermes.

18. C. carinata, n. sp.

6. Calpidium, n. g.

19. C. ornatum, n. sp.

Fam. 2. EUCRATIADAE.

7. Eucratea.

20. E. chelata.

8. Anguinaria.

21. A. spatulata.

-- 2. MULTISERIALARIA.

1. Articulata.

a. internodes elongated, multicellular.

Fam. 1. SALICORNARIADAE.

9. Salicornaria.

22. S. punctata, n. sp. ?

23. S. bicornis, n. sp.

24. S. dichotoma, n. sp.

25. S. marginata, n. sp.

Fam. 2. CELLULARIADAE.

10. Cellularia.

26. C. monotrypa, n. sp.