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



The spicules are chiefly slender spiny spindles, with a few short spiny spindles, and 

 some irregular and four-rayed forms. Some of the spicules are of a delicate pink hue. 

 The slender spiny spicules, straight and curved, measure 0"45-0'04 ; 0'36-0"04 ; 0'32- 

 0-02; 0-24-0-02 mm. The short spiny spindles are 0-16-0-06 ; 0-12-006 mm. The 

 four-rayed forms measure 0*1-0"1 ; 01- 008 mm. The irregular pink spicules measure 

 0-22-0-08 ; 0-2-006 mm. 



Habitat. — West of the Azores ; depth, 450 fathoms. 



Genus Anthomastus, Verrill. 



Anthomastus, Verrill, Amer. Journ. Sci. and Arts, ser. 3, vol. xvi. p. 376, 1878. 

 Sarcophytum, Koren and Danielssen, Nye Alcyouider, &c., p. 7 (pars), 1883. 



Verrill established this genus for a deep-sea species, taken off Sable Island, N.S., as 

 follows : — •" Alcyonarian forming a large rounded polypiferous mass, raised on a stout, 

 short, barren peduncle. Polyps [autozooids] few, very large, spiculose, entirely retractile, 

 into eight-rayed cells. Rudimentary zooids [siphonozooids] numerous, minute, scattered 

 between the polyps. Ccenenchyma abundant, firm, finely spiculose." Only one species, 

 Anthomastus grandiflorus, was described. Later Verrill redescribed this species* from 

 a large number of specimens taken ofi" Beaufort, N.C., also in deep water (410 to 458 

 fathoms). Some of the younger of these had short peduncles, but in others the peduncle 

 was very elongated. In all cases it terminated at the base in several, often numerous, 

 lobulate branches, which were more or less subdivided into lobes, irregular in form and 

 size, but mostl)^ having small constricted bases, so that they were easily broken off. 

 Many specimens were dredged by the " Blake," off Dominique, St. Vincent, Grenada, &c. 



Koren and Danielssen {loc. cit.) describe as Sarcophytum, purpureum a species which 

 belongs to this genus and in which the siphonozooids are ovigerous. The following two 

 species, which we cannot refer to either of the known forms, were found by the Challenger. 



Anthomastus canariensis, n. sp. (PI. XXXVII. fig. 4 ; PI. XLI. fig 7). 



The colony consists of from twelve to thirteen autozooids, and very numerous siphono- 

 zooids. The base is adherent, being attached to an old worn fragment of a coral stem. 

 The adherent portion of the base is about 20 mm. long by about 10 mm. wide ; where 

 it grows over the coral stem it is very thin, allowing the dark colour of the coral to be 

 seen through it; it then rises to a height of 5 mm., forming a somewhat oval column 

 about 12 mm. in its greatest and 7 mm. in its least diameter; but it is not possible to 

 say when the creeping base merges into the column, or it again into the polyp-bearing 



' Bull. Mus. Comp. Zoiil., vol. xi. p. 41. 



