Scuta, rather narrow, with the upper part acuminated: the external surface generally much disintegrated, and marked with some irregular blotches of dark red. Articular ridge not prominent; articular furrow rather deep: adductor ridge, distinct from the articular ridge, pretty well developed, as are the crests for the rostral and lateral depressor muscles. In young and well preserved scuta, there is an external, medial, hyaline band, corresponding with the hollow under the adductor ridge, and caused by the thinness of the valve along this line.
Terga: externally, the carinal half is longitudinally and very feebly striated. Internally, the articular furrow is very wide, but shallow, and of unusual length, owing to the preservation of the upper part of the valve; the articular ridge is not prominent. The spur does not actually join, as in all the foregoing species, the basi-scutal angle, but is separated from it by a short piece of basal margin; its two sides are more nearly parallel than is usual, and the end is regularly rounded. It is always rather narrow, though the width varies considerably (fig. [3 d], [3 e]). It extends in the same straight line with the middle of the articular furrow. The terga, though not possessing any striking characters, differ considerably in appearance from those of the other species.
Structure of the Shell and Radii.—The parietal tubes are remarkable from their irregular shapes, and unequal sizes (fig. [3 b]),—hardly two resembling each other. Sometimes a single elongated tube will reach across the whole thickness of the walls. The septa between the tubes are rather thick and rugged. The tubes are generally darkly coloured from the adhering corium; they are solidly upfilled, but only in the uppermost part, by dark chocolate-red shelly matter. The radii are formed by irregularly branching ridges, with the interspaces filled up solidly. The square edges of the alæ are much thicker than in any other species, and are furnished with transverse ridges, which are sometimes slightly branched. The inner lamina of the walls near the basis, in most of the specimens, is irregularly and longitudinally ribbed, the ribs being longitudinally striated. The sheath and the upper part of the inner lamina of the parietes are clouded with chocolate-red.
The animal’s Mouth and Cirri were ill-preserved; but I was able to make out that the labrum had some strong teeth, and that the mandibles were furnished with five teeth, a greater number than in any other species. The palpi had parallel sides as usual. In the sixth cirrus, the segments had four pairs of main spines, instead of the usual number of three.
Affinities.—This species does not appear to be particularly related to any other one: perhaps it is rather nearer to the two following than to the foregoing species. The irregular parietal tubes, thick-edged alæ, form of terga, five teeth to the mandibles, and four pairs of spines to the segments of the posterior cirri, are its chief characteristics.
7. [TETRACLITA] CŒRULESCENS. Pl. [11], fig. [4 a]-[4 d].
LEPAS CŒRULESCENS. Spengler. Skrivter af Selskabet, 1 Bind., 1790.[111]
[111] The longitudinally folded walls, as described by Spengler, the blue colour, the habitat, namely, associated with [B. tintinnabulum] from the East Indies, and more especially the expression “Valvulæ operculi cardine dentato mobilis,” apparently referring to the highly prominent articular ridge of the scutum, leave little doubt on my mind that I have rightly named the present species.