154 THE VOYAGE OF H.M.S. CHALLENGER. 



Genus Scirpearella, n. gen. 



Cuvier ^ in his classification of " Les Polypiers nageurs," of which the axis is stony, 

 but free, describes " Les Scirpeaires " " ont les corps tres long et tres grele, et les polypes 

 isoles, ranges alternativement le long des deux c6tes," giving as the type Penriatula 

 mirahilis, L. 



Kolliker^ gives Scirpearia, Cuv., as a synonym of Funiculina, Lam., and adds the 

 following under the name of Scirpearia mirahilis, — " Cuvier designates an Alcyonarian 

 named and figured by Linneus as Pennatula mirahilis; Ellis copies this figure and so 

 also does Pallas. Lamarck refers this species to his genus Funiculina. Ehrenberg quotes 

 it as Scir. mirahilis, Cuv., and gives as synonyms Pennatula mirahilis, L., Funiculina 

 cylindrica, Lamk., and Pavonaria scirpea, Blain., and he mentions that a specimen in 

 the Berlin Museum quite answers to the description of this species." 



De Blainville^ places Funiculina, Lam. , as a genus next to Plexaura, the type species 

 being Funiculina cylindrica, Lam., of which he quotes Pennatula mirahilis, Pall., as a 

 synonym, adding " et ce qui est assez singulier, c'est que M. Cuvier a en outre propose 

 un nouveau genre avec la P. Tnirahilis, de Linne, sous le nom de Scirpearia, sans penser 

 qu'il etoit etabli avec le meme animal, type du genre Funiculine de M. de Lamarck." 



The Funiculina cylindrica. Lam., in the Paris Museum is a Gorgonid, and this very 

 specimen Kolliker thinks (and we agree) is the one figured by de Blainville (it is possibly 

 a Juncella). Dr. Gray (1870) accepts the genus Scir2)earia, Cuv., placing it in his family 

 Calligorgidse, the next genus to his Callicella (see antea, p. 75, Caligorgia), and in 

 addition to the species Scirpearia mirahilis, includes Juncella funiculina, D. and M., 

 Juncella harhadensis, D. and M., and Gorgonia monilifo7-mis, Lam. Dr. Gray's generic 

 diagnosis is unintelligible, Scirpearia funiculina, D. and M., is said to have the coral free 

 though it is figured as attached, and the generic characters of Cuvier cannot be said to be 

 in any way emended. Dr. Gray had some years previously (1859) placed Scirpearia in 

 his family Elliselladse, but without any sufficient diagnosis. 



Dr. Studer,^ however, emended the diagnosis of Scirpearia, placing it near Ellisella, 

 but with prominent polyps, these arranged in two rows ; spicules, double clubs and 

 spindles, and including in it Nicella, Gray, Raynerella, Graj^, and Viminella, Gray, ex 

 parte. Even accepting the genus in the sense of Studer, it seems impossible to include 

 in it, even with considerable further emendations, some remarkable forms with simple or 

 very feebly branched stems found during the expedition of the Challenger, and for them 

 we are compelled to make a new genus which may be diagnosed as follows : — 



Colony simple or very feebly branched. Axis calcareous, brittle, smooth or symmetri- 



1 Cuvier, Le Eigne Animal, Nouv. :^dit., t. iiL p. 319, 1830. 



' Kolliker, Anat. Syst. Beschr. der Alcyonarien, Die Pennatuliden, p. 261, 1872. 



^ De Blainville, Manuel d'Actinologie, p. 508, 1834. 



* Studer, Monatsber. d. k. preuss. Akad. d. Wiss. Berlin, 1878, p. 660. 



