54 



are borne on the outer periphery of the thinner branches. The spicul mli]<- 



thick, irregular, often with a median constriction and beset with verru 

 l'his writei Gray is reallj the axis of a Parisis overgrown 



by a s] ind bearing Polythoa which Gray mistook for the polyps of his Trinella. 



The type "i this genus is Parisis frutu ■ Verrill. The onlj other known species is 

 /' Wright .ind Studer. 



Wright and Studer regard Parisis tnauritiensis Ridlej as a synonym for /'. fruticosa^ 

 and Ir and Simpson conclude that /'. indica Thomson and Henderson should also be 



i ti> the s.inir well-known form. 



i. Parisis f ruticosa Verrill. 



Parisis fruticosa Verrill. Bulletin Museum of Comparative Zoology, 1. 1865, p. 23. 

 ? Trinella swinhoei Gray. Catalogue of Lithophytes in the British Museum, 1S70, p. 12. 

 Parisis tnauritiensis Ridley. Annals and Magazine of Natura! History, v' 1 series. Vol. X, 



1882, p. 131. 

 J'iinsts fruticosa Wright and Studer. Challenger Reports, the Alcyonaria, [889, p. 1S2. 

 Parisis indica Thomson and Henderson. Alcyonarians óf the [ndian Ocean, I, 1906, p. 23. 

 Parisis fruticosa Thomson and Simpson. Alcyonaria of the Indian Ocean, II, 1909, p. 176 



tt. 204. 4°2o'S., i22°s8'E. Fiom 75 to 94 meters. Sand with dead shells. 

 Stat. 2'io. 5°36'.5S., 132 ;;.2 E. 90 meters. Sand, coral and shells. 

 Stat. 274. 5 28'.2 S., 134 53.9 IC. 57 meters. Sand and shells. Stom-. 



ilony subflabellate in form, 46.5 cm. in height, with a spread of about 15 cm., and 

 extensively encrusted with a sponge. The base of attachment is lacking. The stem and all 

 branches are round, the tonner being 7 mm. in diameter and 5.5 cm. long to first branch. 

 1 calcareotis and horny segments are eqnal in diameter and not externally evident, except 

 in tlie stem and larger branches. The nodes vary from 4 mm. (proximal) to less than 1 mm. 

 (distal] in length. The calcareotis internodes are more constant in the sense that their extreme 

 variation is less, but do not increase as regularly from proximal to distal parts of the colony 

 as in many species of this family. They vary from 2 to 6 mm. in length. The main stem 

 off a number of small irregular latend branches, four of which are compound, from its 

 proximal 10 cm., and the stem bends ontward and then upward. It then forks into two unequal 

 parts and «ach of these gives < iff numerous lateral branchlets both simple and compound, some 

 of which rebranch until branchings of the 6 lh order are attained. The ultimate twigs are about 

 1.3 mm. in diameter, measured between the calyces. These latter are rather thickly distributed 

 on all sides pf the distal branchlets, but usually they are on bul three sides of the branches 

 and on some they are strictly lateral. 



The individual calyces are dome-shaped. but tilted so that their summits are- inclined 



toward the distal ends of the branches. A typical one measures i.| mm. high and 1.2 mm. 



iameter near its base. The calyx walls are filled with a neatly fttted mosaic of polygonal 



spicules who orm close joints and do nol seem to overlap. The polyps are very minute, 



and th«-ir attachment to the inside of the calyx, when strongly contracted, is so tirm that 



>tigation is very difficult. They are either devoid of spicules or very feebly spiculated. 



