Synascidia bolteniformis

Gunther, Albert C. L. G., Dallas, William S., Carruthers, William & Francis, William, 1885, The Annals and Magazine of Natural History, Including Zoology, Botany, and Geology, Reptiles and Batrachians from Brazil, LONGMANS, GREEN, AND CO.; SIMPKIN, MARSHALL, AND CO.; KENT AND CO.,; WHITT AKER AND CO.: BAILLIERE, PARIS: MACLACHLAN AND STEWART, EDINBURGH: HODGES, FOSTER, AND CO., DUBLIN: AND ASHER, BERLIN: TAYLOR AND FRANCIS, pp. 1-96 : 199

Synascidia bolteniformis (provisional).

Besides the above there is another Bultenia-shaped speci ­ men in the collection, of much the same size as the foregoing, but unfortunately imperfect, as the upper part of the head appears to have been cut off and only a few inches of the stem remain. Resemblance in form here, however, goes for nothing, for the whole consists of a stalked corm us of a compound tunicated Ascidian, in which the head is paved over with a layer of Synascidians. That part of the head which remains is not tuberculatcd, but unequally quadrilateral, oblong and smooth, about 2 in. high by 1 in. in horizontal diameter, after which follows a round and also smooth portion (like in shape to that of Boltenia australiensis ), which becomes con ­ tracted towards its union with the stem, where it is half an inch in diameter; that which remains of the stem, which is cylindrical and corrugated transversely, being 41 in. long by} in. in diameter at the end, where it has been broken off from apparently a similar continuation. While, however, the head alone is covered with a tough, transparent, colourless membrane beset with little circular spaces, through the centre of each of which the branchial aperture of the Synascidian slightly projects; the intervening portion between the head and the stem itself, together with the latter, is incrusted with sand, which is imbedded in the subcartilaginous tissue of which it is composed, to the extent of about l-24th in., within which again this tissue is longitudinally traversed by a number of tubes which in a transverse section resembles that of monocotyledonous wood. The Synascidians which cover the head or corme arc irregularly disposed in juxtaposition, and not in colonies or groups; nor could I see any common openings or cloaca? among them; while the interior of the head, which is composed of a solid mass of subcartilaginous, translu ­ cent tissue, is apparently more or less charged with ova. But all further investigation of this species I must leave to others, if it has not before been described, as my object here is only to point out that such a specimen exists in Mr. Wilson ’s collection.

Since the above was written, the ship 4 Sarah Grice,’ to which I have alluded (antea, p. 1008), has arrived, and the “ consignment ” therein mentioned has safely reached me, wherein I find, among numbers of other interesting specimens, several of which are new, still another bolteniform specimen of a Synascidian, which may be named and described as follows:—