1 1 



Stat. 258. Tual Anchorage, Kei Islands. 22 meters. Lithothamnion. 



Stat. 273. Anchorage off Pulu Jedan. East coast of Aru Islands. (Pearl Bank). 13 meters. 



Colony flabellate in form, 21 cm. in height and about 16 cm. in diameter. The main 

 stem forks about 2.5 cm. from its base, and one of the resulting divisions again forks, making 

 three main branches to the colony, which give off lateral branches in a very irregular manner, 

 often redividing untii branchings of the 5 th and 6 th orders are attained. The diameter of the 

 main stem is 6 mm., of the main branches 5 mm. and of the slender, straight ultimate branches 

 2 mm. The calyces are evenly distributed on all sides of the stem and branches, their mouths 

 being ordinarily about 1 mm. apart from centre to centre. 



The individual calyces are included, there being nothing visible externally except a very 

 slight swelling around the margins, this swelling fading insensibly into the general surface of 

 the ccenenchyma. The calyx walls are covered with the imbricating scales or foliar expansions 

 of Blattkeulen that form the distal portions of the superficial layer of spicules. The polyps are 

 completely retractile, the calycine apertures being in most cases obliterated. The retracted polyps 

 are very much flattened, being really reduced to disk-shaped bodies. There are a few slender 

 spicules on the upper surfaces of the tentacles, there usually being two longitudinally disposed 

 on each tentacle. 



A cross section of a branch shows the two layers of spicules characteristic of the genus, 

 the outer with the scarlet foliar expansions standing erect, as if radiating from the axis. The 

 inner layer is composed of colorless spicules which are small and of various forms. The water- 

 vascular canals are not well differentiated, and the axis is horny, sometimes with a hollow centre. 



Spicules. The Blattkeulen are like those of the Echinogorgia type found in the Muriceidse, 

 but the smooth, distal foliar expansions are aggregated into a knob-like head. Sometimes this 

 is much flattened so as to become disk-shaped. The proximal, immersed parts of these spicules 

 bear dense masses of tuberculated or branched processes reaching downward and outward. 

 Besides these there are a number of tuberculate spindles, crosses, butterflies, clubs, etc. which 

 are found in the inner layer of the ccenenchyma. 



Color. The colony is bright scarlet, as are the Blattkeulen. 



The specimens collected by the Siboga Expedition do not show the calcareous core to 

 the axis cylinder described by Studer. They agree, however, so well in all other particulars 

 that the writer feels confident of the correctness of his identification. 



Euplexaura Verrill (emended). 



Eiiplexaura Verrill. Proceedings of the Essex Institute, VI, 1S69, p. 143. 

 Euplexaura Wright and Studer. Challenger Reports, the Alcyonaria, 1SS9, p. 143. 

 Euplexaura Brundin. Alcyonarien des Zool. Museums in Upsala, 1896, p. 20. 

 Euplexaura Kükenthal. Japanische Gorgoniden, II. Teil, 1909, p. 6. 



The orginal description of the genus is as follows : 



"In external characters it resembles Plexaurella, with rather large, open cells. The spicula 

 are mostly stout, blunt, warty spindles, and rarely small, irregular crosses". 



