History of British animals - University of Guam Marine Laboratory

Pennatula. ZOOPHYTA. CARNOSA. 507PENNATULADJL.Gen. XXVII. PENNATULA.—Base of the body fleshy, andsubcylindrical, supporting an oval, expanded, compressedhead, consisting of soft processes, proceeding obliquely froma mid-rib, and supporting, on one side, the denticles or cellscontaining the polypi.68. P. phosphor xa. The Sea-pen. — Stem villous, and destituteof a spineat the base of each lateral process;colour purple.Penna marina, Sib. Scot. ii.p. 28. Wal. Or. p. 38—Pennatula phos.Linn. Syst. 1322. Ellis, Ph. t. liii. t. xix. f. 1, 5—P. Britannica Sol.Zoop. p. 61 Penna marina, Cord. R. No. 18. Adheres to the musselbaitsof the fishermen, on the east coast of Scotland, not uncommon.The length is from 2 to C inches. Stem round and fleshy at the base, andclosely set with minute spines ; compressed and grooved in the middle betweenthe processes, and terminating in a point. The processes commenceabout the middle of the stem, increase in length gradually, and then decreasein the same manner, to the point, forming, in the outline, the segment of acircle on each side. Along the upper side cf each process,is a vow of tubulardenticles, having the margins of the mouths armed with moveable spicula.The polypi have cylindrical stems, with eight long tentacula, which are capableof retiring within the denticle.Gen. XXVIII.VIRGULARIA.— Body linear, supporting,towards the upper extremity, sessile, lunate lobes, embracingthe stem obliquely, and bearing a row of cells on theirmargin.69. V. mirabilis.— Stem filiform, with alternate lobes transverselyridged.Pennatula mirabilis, Linn, Mus. Ad. t. xix. f. 4. (copied Phil. Trans, liiit.xx. f.17.)— Amoen. Acad. iv. p. 257- Pal. Zoop. 371. Sower. Brit.Misc. i. p. 51. xxv.— On t. the east and north coast of Scotland, whereit is believed by the fishermen to have one end lodged erect in themud ;in Zetland jt is called the Sea-Rush.Length about a foot. The central bone is white, filiform, and cylindrical.When broken across, it appears striated from the centre (hke a Belemnite),as Lamarck found in his V. australis. On the fleshy back there is a groovefrom the ridge, on each side of which the lobes arise. These resemble a crest,embrace the side of the stem, and a portionof its front obliquely, and terminatein a recurrent manner, the point of one meeting with the bend of thehigher one from the opposite side. Each lobe is subpectinated with abouteight or ten ridges, constituting as many cells, with a simple pore on themargin for a polypus.I have ventured to unite under this species,the preceding synonimes,though three species are constituted by Lamarck, out of the Pennatula mirabilisof Linnreus, Palla?, and Muller. A comparison, however, of the descrip-