The Cambridge natural history, Vol. 01 (of 10)Hickson, Sydney J. (Sydney John)
Science
The Cambridge natural history, Vol. 01 (of 10)
Hickson, Sydney J. (Sydney John)
Animals
In this sub-order the lips are very much exaggerated in size, and are fused
together by their margin in such a manner that the mouth of the animal is
reduced to a number of small apertures situated along the lines of suture.
Tentacles are absent on the margin of the umbrella. This sub-order contains
some of the largest known jelly-fishes, and exhibits a considerable range
of structure. The families are arranged by Maas[360] in three groups.
Group I. ARCADOMYARIA.—Musculature of the disc arranged in feather-like
arcades. Oral arms pinnate.
FAM. CASSIOPEIDAE.—There are no epaulettes on the arms. Labial tentacles
present. _Cassiopea_ is common in the Indo-Pacific seas, and extends into
the Red Sea. It includes a great many species varying in size from 4 to
about 12 cm. in diameter.
Group II. RADIOMYARIA.—Musculature arranged in radial tracts. Oral arms
bifid.
FAM. CEPHEIDAE.—The genera included in this family differ {325}from the
Cassiopeidae in the characters of the group. _Cephea_ is found in the
Indo-Pacific Oceans and Red Sea. _Cotylorhiza_ is common in the
Mediterranean Sea and extends into the Atlantic Ocean.
Group III. CYCLOMYARIA.—The group contains the majority of the
Rhizostomata. Musculature arranged in circular bands round the disc. Oral
arms primarily trifid, but becoming in some cases very complicated. The
principal families are:—
FAM. RHIZOSTOMATIDAE.—With well-marked epaulettes, and sixteen radial
canals passing to the margin of the umbrella.
_Rhizostoma pulmo_ (= _Pilema octopus_), a widely distributed species, is
often found floating at the surface off the western coasts of Scotland and
Ireland, and sometimes drifts up the English Channel into the German Ocean
in the autumn. The umbrella is about two feet in diameter, and the combined
length of the umbrella and arms is four feet. The colour varies
considerably, but that of a specimen obtained off Valencia in 1895 was
described as follows: "The colour of the umbrella was pale green, with a
deep reddish margin. Arms bright blue."[361]
The family includes _Stomolophus_, of the Pacific and Atlantic coasts of
America, in which the oral arms are united at the base, and _Rhopilema_,
the edible Medusa of Japan and China.
FAM. LYCHNORHIZIDAE.—Here there are only eight radial canals reaching as
far as the margin of the umbrella, and eight terminating in the ring-canal.
There are no epaulettes, and the oral tentacles are often very long. The
family includes _Lychnorhiza_ from the coast of Brazil, _Crambione_ from
the Malay Archipelago, and _Crambessa_ from the Atlantic shores of France
and Spain and from Brazil and Australia. The last-named genus has been
found in brackish water at the mouth of the Loire.
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