ALCYONARIANS. BRIGGS. 71 



MOPSEA ENCRINULA (Lamarck). 



Isis encrinula, Lamarck, Hist. anim. sans vert., ii., 1816, 

 p. 302. 



Mopsea roiicillata, Lamouroux, Hist. Polyp. Corall. 

 flexibles, 1816, p. 467, pi. xviii., fig. 2. 



Mopsea encrinula, Ehrenberg, Corallenth. d. rothen 

 Meeres, 1834, p. 131. Id., Milne-Edwards et Haime, 

 Hist. Nat. Corall., 1857, p. 198. Id., Gray, Proc. 

 Zool. Soc., 1857, p. 284 ; Id., Gray, Cat. Lithophytes 

 in Brit. Mus., 1870, p. 15. Id., Studer, Monatsber. 

 Akad. Wiss. Berlin, 1878, p. 665. Id., Wright and 

 Studer, Chall. Rep., Zool.. xxxi., 1889, p. 43, pi. vii., 

 figs. 1. la, Ib, pi. ix., fig. 11. Id., Thomson and 

 Mackinnon, Mem. Austr. Mus., iv., 13, 1911, p. 674. 



Entangled with a mass of Hydrozoa were found a few 

 broken specimens, which agree with Wright and Studer 's 

 description of Mopsea encrimda (Lamarck). The salient 

 characters may be summarised thus : Branching is plurpe- 

 like and in one plane ; the ccenenchyma is thick ; the polyps 

 club-shaped and arranged in close spirals, bending in towards 

 the stem. The axis is composed of calcareous internodes 

 with distinct longitudinal furrows, and horny nodes. The 

 branches arise from the calcareous joints. 



The spicules include the following types : (1) curved, 

 warty, somewhat flattened spindles, with the convex side 

 produced into a number of strong, prominent teeth -192 

 x -087mm. ; -157 x -052mm. ; -140 x-C61mm. ; -122 x -052 

 mm. ; (2) scales with irregular margins and spiny warts 

 105 x -070mm. ; -087 x -052mm. ; -070 Y. -052mm. ; -052 x 

 043mm. ; (3) small irregular bodies and lt capstans ' 

 087 x -070mm. ; -052 x -035mm. ; -035 x -035mm. 



The colour is yellowish-white. 



Locality. Great Australian Bight, 80-100 fathoms. 



Distribution. ' Les mers de la Nouvelle Hollande ' 

 (Lamarck). Australia (Lamouroux, Milne-Edwards et 

 Haime, Gray). North-west coast of Australia, 50 fathoms 

 (Studer). " Challenger J; Station 162, off East Moncceur 

 Island, Bass Strait, 38 fathoms (Wright and Studer). The 

 ' Thetis " specimens were obtained at the following localities 

 off the coast of Xew South Wales : Eleven miles east of 

 Broken Bay ; Station 34, off Port Jackson, 39-36 fathoms ; 

 Station 44, off Coogee, 49-50 fathoms ; Station 47, off Bulgo, 

 63-57 fathoms (Thomson and Mackinnon). 



