7° 



Colony flabellate, often reticulate : ccenenchyma thin ; calyces short cylinders with an 

 operculum composed mainly or entirely of three spindles forming an acute-angled triangle. 

 Spicules mainly triradiate and quadriradiate, or Stachelplatten. 



The type species is Villogorgia nigrescens Duchassaing and Michelotti. Other known 

 species are Villogorgia compressa Hiles, V. fiabellata (Gray), V. (Paramuricea) gracilis (Studer), 

 V. intricata (Gray), V. ( Acamptogorgia) rubra (Hiles), also the new species found in the Siboga 

 collection and described beyond. 



The genus is doubtless closely allied to Paramuricea, but is separated from it by the 

 arrangement of the opercular spindles, which are en chevron in Paramuricea but form an 

 acute triangle in Villogorgia. 



i. Villogorgia nigrescens Duchassaing et Michelotti. 



Villogorgia nigrcsccns Duchassaing et Michelotti. Mémoire sur les coralliaires des Antilies, 



1862, p. 32. 

 Paramuricea nigrescens Kólliker. Icones Histologicas, II, 1865, p. 136. 

 Villogorgia nigrescens Ridley. Annals and Magazine of Natural History, Series 5, Vol. 9, 



1882, p. 187. 

 Villogorgia nigrescens Wright and Studer. Challenger Reports, the Alcyonaria, 1889, p. 110. 



Stat. 154. o°7'.2N., I30°25'.5E. Bougainville Strait. 83 meters. Muddy sand. 



Colony flabellate, not reticulate, attaining a height of 16.5 cm. and a width of 17 cm. 

 The main stem is 5 mm. thick, and divides 6 mm. above its base into three large branches, 

 one of which has been broken off short. The other two send off an intricate system of large 

 and small branchlets that are lateral and tend to be alternate and about 5.5 mm. apart on an 

 average. These branches are quite numerous and produce an apparently reticulate pattern, 

 although there are 110 anastomoses. The calyces are distributed pretty evenly on all sides of 

 the branches, but appear to be alternate, and sometimes are really so on the ultimate twigs. 

 They are sometimes arranged in spirals of three or four to the turn, and are a little more 

 than 1 mm. apart. 



The individual calyces are short cylinders about 1 mm. high and as wide as high. Their 

 sides are nearly parallel, and the margin is surrounded by a fringe of blunt, jagged, irregular 

 points above which rise the sharp spindles of the operculum which are almost vertical in position. 

 The calyx walls are filled with spicules which constitute a sort of rude mosaic of irregular 

 pieces, sometimes with an appearance of imbrication, the blunt points of the plates projecting 

 upward and outward. The operculum is well marked, and of the form characteristic of the 

 genus, each flap being composed of three spindles forming an acute-angled triangle. The 

 operculum is much more elevated than ordinary, however, its longitudinal spindles being easily 

 mistaken for the crown of thorns such as appear in Acanthogorgia. The ccenenchyma is filled 

 with spicules in mosaic pattern, sometimes appearing to be imbricated. 



Spicules. These are of various forms. The triradiate form predominates, although there 

 are many crosses, stars, butterfly forms, Stachelplatten, and a very few spindles. Indeed almost 

 all of the forms found in the genus can be found on a single slide from this species. 



