ALC YON ARIA. 271 



Mediterranean and from off the Andaman Islands, and Gorgonia capensis is known 

 from the Cape and further south. In many respects the Ceylonese Alcyonarian fauna 

 is, as regards genera, remarkably cosmopolitan. Few naturalists, however, have 

 contrived to collect so exhaustively as Professor Herdman did in his Ceylon 

 expedition. 



(<() There is in some species great variability in colour, in mode of branching, in 

 dimensions of spicules, and in the proportionate numbers of different forms of spicules. 

 In illustration we may refer to Spongodes pvlchra, n. sp., Spongodes bicolor, Wright 

 and Studer, Cliironephthya rariabilis, Hickson, Bebryce hicksoni, n. sp., Verrucella 

 Jlexuosa, Ridley. In many cases we have given details in regard to these variations, 

 partly as a contribution to the data of variability in general, and partly to facilitate a 

 future revision of species. It can hardly be doubted that many of the Alcyonarian 

 species, e.g., of Xenia, Spongodes, Scirpearella, Juncella, and Verrucella, are in a 

 state of evolutionary flux, and yet it is at present difficult to reduce the number of 

 species. As we have had numerous specimens of many of the apparently most 

 variable forms, we have not felt justified in regarding these as instances of merely 

 individual variation. 



(p) As a simple illustration of the way in which even these Alcyonarians may 

 interact with the life of such animals as pearl oysters, we may refer to Clavularia 

 margaritiferm, n. sp., which spreads on the pearl oyster shell, and to the occurrence of 

 young pearl oysters attached to Alcyonarians, e.g., to the branches of Hetero- 

 gorgia sp. Not a few specimens, e.g., Nephthya lobulifera, were found attached to 

 dead pearl oyster shells. 



( /') We have had the pleasure of confirming in Gorgonia capensis Professor 

 S. J. Hickson's interesting discovery of viviparity. 



It may be convenient to place here a classified list of the species reported on : 



ALCYONAPJA (excluding most of the Alcyoniid.e). 



Order I. : Stolonifera. *Nephfhya ceylonensis, n. sp. 



Family: Clavulariidse. *Eunephthya purpurea, n. sp 



*Paraspongodes striata, n. sp. 

 *Capnella manaarensis, n. sp. 



*C'larntaria margaritiferce, n. sp. 



Family: Xeniidae. * Spongodes' pulchra, n. sp, 



Xt iiiu ternatana, Schenck. tricolor, Wright and Studer. 



umbellata, Sav. H V ar. ceylon- 



ORDER II. : AlOYONACEA. CnS!S ' " - 



Family : Alcyoniidre. 



* aurantiaca, n. sp. 



*Bellonella indica. n. sp. i^v., 



' v rosea, Kukenthal. 



Family : Nephthyidav n armata, Holm., var. ceylonensis, n. 



Nephthya chabrolii, Arn., var. ceylonensis, n. ,, dendrophyta, Wright and Studer. 



lobulifera, Holm. splendent, Kukenthal. 



* The forms with an asterisk are reported as new. 



