Transactions and proceedings of the New Zealand Institute Volume 35 - Tapa blanda

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1908 Excerpt: ...are favourable, irrespective of geographical locality, and I have no doubt that it will hereafter be found in many parts of the colony when the fauna of our lakes and rivers is better known. The English species is sometimes found in favourable situations with branches 2 in. long, partly free and partly adherent to stones or stems of aquatic plants. It was originally figured by Van Benedent and afterwards by other observers, but by far the most beautiful figure is that in the Ray Society's monograph. Generic description: Paludicella is one of the best marked of all the genera of fresh-water Polyzoa. The zooecia are club-shaped, each of which gives rise to two zooecia near their upper end, sharply separated from each other by complete septa. Lophophores perfectly orbicular. These, together with its internal anatomical details, remove it by a well-marked interval from the other genera. The present locality--Ross Creek Reservoir--is the most southerly of any of those hitherto recorded in the Old or the New World. On the first occasion on which I noticed specimens they had come through the ordinary town watersupply tap, about a mile and a half from the reservoir, and were floating in a white earthenware basin. They at once attracted attention in consequence of their very black colour. This appears to be the normal winter condition, and the black membrane is said to act as a covering for the undeveloped buds, ready to be put forth when warmer weather comes rouud. This has been worked out in the elaborate monograph by MM. Dumortier and Van Beneden, "On the Natural History of the Fresh-water Polyzoa." Allman says, with regard to this condition, "These hybernaculae are gemmae which under the influence of a favourable temperature would have grown into ...