ALCYOXARIANS. BRIGGS. 9o 



Genus SARCOPHYLLUM, Kolliker. 



SARCOPHYLLUM GRANDE (Gray}. 



Sarcoptilus grandis, Gray, Proc. Zool. Soc., xvi., 1848, p. 



45, pi. i. Id., Gray, Ann. Mag. Nat, Hist., v., isiiu, 



p. 23. Id., Gray, Cat, Sea-Pens Brit, Mus., 1870, 



p. 25. 

 Sarcophi/Unm australe, Kolliker, Anatom. Systemat. Bes- 



chreib. Alcvonarien, Abth. 1., Pennatuliden, 1872, pp. 



120. 364, pi. viii., figs. 66, 67. Id., Hickson, Proc. 



Roy. Soc. Viet., (n.s.)^ ii., 1890, p. 140. Id., Thomson 



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



694, pi. Ixxxii. 

 Sarcophylhnn grande, Kolliker, Chall. Rep., Zool., i., 18X0, 



p. 2. 



A number of specimens of a light brown colour agree on 

 the whole with Kolliker's description of Sarcophyllum aus- 

 tralis (=8. grande, Gray). 



Gray's original description, which was based on a single 

 specimen from an unknown habitat, contains the following 

 passage : " Pinnce placed in two crowded rows, one on 

 each side of one of the faces of the upper part of the shaft, 

 kidney-shaped, crumpled, with the polyps scattered on the 

 edge and upper surfaces, especially near the edge." 



After an examination of specimens from Sydney, New 

 South Wales, he writes " When I first described this genus 

 I believed that the polypes Avere ' scattered over the upper 

 surface of the pinnae ' ; but that is a mistake which I was 

 led into by the imperfect state of the specimen ; the polyps 

 are only placed on the margin of the pinnae as in other Pen- 

 nat/ulidce." 



In the present specimens there are numerous rows of auto- 

 zooids on the margin of the pinnules. The characteristic 

 .spicules of the species are situated in the base of the colony, 

 and consist of large white 8-shaped forms measuring up to 

 4mm. in length. 



The dimension in centimetres of the largest specimen 

 are as follows : 



Length of entire colony . . . . . . 29 



Length of the rachis . . . . . . . . 20'5 



Length of the stalk . . . . . . . . 8'5 



Breadth of the rarhis . . . . . . . . 8 



Breadth of the stalk .T"> 



Maximum breadth of pinnules . . . . 4-0 



Height of pinnules in the middle . . . . :5 



Number of pinnules on each side .. .. 40 



