67 



THE 



ALOYONARIA & HYDEOCORALLINAE 



OF THE 



CAPE OF GOOD HOPE. 



BY 



SYDNEY J. HICKSON, M.A., D.Sc, F.R.S., 



BEYER PROFESSOR OF ZOOLOGY IN OWEN'S COLLEGE, 



MANCHESTER. 



■:o:- 



INTRODUCTION. 



The specimens of Alcyonaria described in these pages 

 were sent to me in four parcels during the years 1898 and 

 189Q. 



They were all killed when caught and very carefully pre- 

 served so that the details of their anatomical structure, both 

 general and minute, could be studied with satisfactory results. 



Freshly killed Alcyonarians, however, present this difficulty 

 to the systematist that they are so different in general aspect 

 from the dried specimens upon which the species have, in 

 most cases, been founded that their identification, even when 

 the types can be compared with them, is often unsatisfactory. 

 I have done the best I could not to add new names to our 

 literature unnecessarily, and have allowed a wide margin for 

 possible local variation of widely distributed species. Four 

 species, however, present features which separate them so 

 markedly from anything hitherto described, that it is neces- 

 sary to regard them as new to science, and for one of these the 

 new genus Acrophytum is proposed. 



The new species are Heteroxenia capensis, Sarcophytum 

 trochiforme, Acrophytum claviger, and Gorgonia capensis. 



B 2 



