29 



Væringia clavata. n. sp. 



Tab. XX. Fig. 45—83. 



Zoanthodemet er indtil 30 hoit. Basaldelen er 



skiveformigt udvidet, ikke meget tyk, fast og læderagtig. 

 Stammen er ved Granden 40""" i Omkreds, men aftager i 

 Tykkelse successivt op imod Toppen, hvor den er omkring 

 25""" i Omfang; den er fast, læderagtig, riflet paalangs og 

 tæt besat med Grene lige fra Basaldelen til Toppen, der 

 ender i en Klynge af Grene fra 5 — 8 i Antal, Fig. 45. 

 Grenene ere læderagtige, korte, tykke, tildels nogne ved 

 deres Udspring og som oftest udelte; men omtrent 1""" fra 

 Stammen tiltage Grenene i Tykkelse og udvide sig kølle- 

 formigt mod Enden, der er ganske afrundet, Fig. 45. 

 Grenene slutte sig tæt til Stammen, som de næsten ganske 

 skjule cg ere rigt besatte med Polyper. der staa temmelig 

 tætte, men ere dog fuldkommen adskilte. Polypcellen er 

 nedsænket i Coenenchymet og lukker sig saa fuldstændigt, 

 naar Polypen er indtrukken, at det er meget vanskeligt 

 endog ved Loupen at opdage den; kun en yderst fin, rund 

 Aabniug tilkjendegiver dens Tilværelse. Grenene have. 

 naar Kolonien er i Vigør, Formen af en Kolle, men da 

 enkelte Grene ere i Enderne delte i 2, yderst sjeldent 3, 

 lidt mindre Grene, faa de derved et lappet Udseende, 

 Fig. 45. Polyperne ere 4 — 5""" lange, Tentaklerne ind- 

 befattet, med en kort, lidt smal Bagkrop, hvor Spiklerne 

 ligge paatvers, og en noget buget Forkrop med 8 Ribber 

 og ligesaa mange Furer, hvor Spiklerne ligge paalangs, 

 Fig. 46. Den nederste Del af Bagkroppen, der hvor denne 

 er paavei til at gaa over i Cellen, er næsten spikelfri, 

 Fig. 46. Tentaklerne ere 2'"'" lange, temmelig tykke ved 

 Granden og paa deres aborale Side forsynede med to 

 paaskraas liggende Spikelrækker, Fig. 46. Pinnulerne ere 

 temmelig lange og uden Spilder, men forsynede med Nerua- 

 tocyster i stor Mængde, hvilke ogsaa tindes paa den noget 

 hvælvede Mundskive. 



Anatom isk-histologisk Undersøgelse. 



Zoanthodemet er overalt beklædt med et Ectoderm, 

 bestaaende af flere Lag polyædriske Celler. Imellem disse 

 sees overalt paa Stammen og Grenene isolerede, encellede, 

 ægformede Slimkjertler, ligesom Spiklerne ere leirede dels 



Væringia clavata. n. sp. 



Pl. XX. Figs. 45—8 '.. 



The Zoanthodem measures up to 30""" in height, The 

 basal part is discoidally dilated, and not very thick; it is 

 hard and coriaceous. The stem measures. at its hase, 

 40""" in circumference, but diminishes, gradually, in thick- 

 ness. up towards its summit, at which point it measures 



about 25' in circumference. It is hard, coriaceous, longi- 



tudinally grooved. and closely beset with branches through 

 its entire height from the basal part to the summit, which 

 latter terminates in a duster of branches, 5 to 8 in number 

 (fig. 45). The branches are coriaceous, short, and thick, 

 and art\ partly, bare at the roots, and generally, non-ramous, 

 but at a. distance of about 1""" from the stem. the branches 

 increase in thickness, and become dilated in subclaviform 

 towards the extrenhty. which is quite rounded (fig. 45). 

 The branches lie closely in to the stem, so as nearly to 

 conceal it. and they are riehly beset with polyps placed 

 pretty closely to each other, but, yet, perfectly separated. 

 The polyp-cell is depressed in the sarcosoma, and becomes 

 so completely closed when the polyp is retracted, that it 

 is very difficult. even with the help of a magnifying glass, 

 to detect it, only a minute circular aperture announeing 

 its presence. When the colony is in vigour, the branches 

 have a subclavate form, but as a few of the branches are 

 ramified at the extremities into 2, or, very rarely, 3 slightly 

 smaller branchlets, they acquire, thus, a patched appear- 

 ance (fig. 45). The polyps measure 4 — 5""" in length, 

 including the tentacles, and have a short, narrowish, pos- 

 terior body on which the spicules are placed transversally. 

 and a somewhat bulging anterior body, having 8 ribs and 

 the same number of grooves, where the spicules are placed 

 longitudinally (fig. 46). The lowest part of the posterior 

 body, at the point where it is about to pass over to the 

 cell, is almost devoid of spicules (fig. 46). The tentacles 

 measure 2""" in length, and are rather thick at the base, 

 and, on their aboral side, they are furnished with two, 

 transversally placed, series of spicules (fig. 46). The pin- 

 nules are pretty long, and devoid of spicules, but are fur 

 nished with nematocysts in great abundance, which, also, 

 are found on the somewhat arcuate oral disc. 



Anatomo-histological Examination. 



The Zoanthodem is. everywhere, clad with an ecto- 

 derm, consisting of several layers of polyhedrical cells. 

 Between these, there is, everywhere, seen, on the stem and 

 the branches, isolated. unicellular. oviform mucous glands, 



