128 OKHAMANDAL MARINE ZOOLOGY REPORT 



3. Dendronephthya (Spongodes) brevirama (Burckhardt). 

 PLATE, fig. 6. 



For description see : 



Burckhardt, E. : Alcyonaceen von Thursday-Island (Torresstrasse) und von Amboina. Semon's 

 Zool. Forschungsreiaen, vol. 5 (1898), p. 438, PI. 31, fig. 5; PI. 32, fig. 3a-3e. 



Kiikenthal, W. : Versuch einer Revision der Alcyonarwn. II. Die Familie der Nephthyiden. 

 2 Teil. Die Gattungen Dendronephthya n.g. und Stereonephthya n.g. Zool. Jahrb. xxi. 

 (1905), p. 659. 



Several specimens of a distinctly umbellate type, with close-set polyparium 

 somewhat flattened and presenting a continuous surface, are referable to 

 Kiikenthal's florida, group of Umbellatse, and agree in essential features with 

 Burckhardt's Spongodes brevirama. Most of them vary in height from 3 cm. 

 to 5 cm., exclusive of the short stalk portion, which is usually about 1 cm. in 

 height, somewhat flattened, and with root-like attachments. In the smaller specimens 

 the polyparium is almost hemispherical, in the larger forms it tends to be ovoid. 

 It cannot be said that the polyparium is greatly flattened ; in one specimen the 

 diameters were 4 cm. and 27 cm., in another they were 4'5 cm. and 3'5 cm. The 

 collection also includes a very fine specimen ovoid in form and markedly flattened, 

 with the following dimensions : height of the polyparium, 12'5 cm. ; diameters, 10'5 cm. 

 and 5 cm. The stalk is practically suppressed, being reduced to about 1 cm. in height. 

 The average length of the root-like attachments is 6 cm. 



The lowest branches are very distinctly leaf-like in many of the specimens 

 but not in all. Above these there are numerous approximately cylindrical main 

 branches arising on all sides from a continuation of the stem. The main branches 

 give off secondary branches, and these again give rise to the polyp-bearing twigs. 

 The number of polyps borne by each distinct twig is very variable, but there are 

 usually many bundles of about six each. The polyp-stalks are very short, and 

 the polyps are confined to the surface of the polyparium. They are almost 

 uniformly disposed on all sides. This is not in agreement with one of the 

 features of the florida group, in which, according to Kiikenthal, there is denser 

 and more uniform distribution of polyps on the flatter surfaces. It does not 

 seem to us necessary to attach much importance to such differences, which 

 probably depend entirely on growth conditions. A feature of some interest on 

 several specimens is the occurrence of a number of small twigs on the short stalk 

 portion, almost down to the level of the stolons. Each twig bears two or three 

 polyps. 



The polyps a,re from 0'6 to 0'7 mm. in height by 0'5 mm. in breadth, and 

 the stalks are about 0'8 mm. long. There are eight double rows of spindles on 

 each polyp, each row containing five to seven spicules, the uppermost of which 

 projects slightly. The spicules in each double row are arranged en chevron, and 



