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



Cirripathes anguina, Dana. 



CirrhipatJies anguina, Dana, Zooph., p. 577, pi. lvi. fig. 1. 



1 Palmijuncus amjuinus, Rumphius. 



1 Cirrhipathes Sieboldi, Blainville, Manuel dActinol., p. 512. 



Antipathes sp., Gray, Proc. Zool. Soc. Lond., 1857, p. 114, pi. vi. (Radiata). 



"Stem quite simple, somewhat spirally flexuose, potyps greenish, scarcely beaked; 

 tentacles fuscous at base, axis with faint articulations at long distances, spines rather 

 remote, compressed, subacute" (Dana, op. cit.). Dana remarks that this species 

 resembles Antipathes spiralis, Pallas, but the polyps are not properly beaked, and the 

 spines are more distant, stouter, and hardly acute. The axis has distinct nodes every 

 three or four inches. Stem, six feet long in five feet of water, twisted so as not to reach 

 the surface. Polyps one-sixth of an inch apart. His figures show the polyps to be more 

 distant than in Cirripathes propinqua and to lack the prominent oral prominence of 

 other types. The spines, as figured, are short, stiff, and slightly hooked upwards. They 

 appear closely packed in irregular transverse series, and all are of the same size. 



This species, or at any rate the Palmijuncus anguinus, Eumph., which Dana regarded 

 as probably identical, was included by Pallas as a form of Cirripathes sp>iralis. I have 

 made a careful comparison of a number of specimens in various museums, in order, if 

 possible, to throw some light on the subject. Between the truly spiral type (which, so far 

 as my observations go, appears to be rare) and the non-spiral, with a straight stem, there 

 appear to be a number of flexuose and contorted forms which may be so many individual 

 variations. Unfortunately, the size and arrangement of the spines vary considei-ably in 

 different individuals, and it appears as if satisfactory specific characters can only be 

 obtained from an examination of well-preserved polyps. The distinctly spiral form 

 differs in several points from the straight or flexuose specimens and is here regarded as 

 typical Cirripathes spiralis. The others, which do not agree with the characters of 

 Cirripathes propinqua, are to be provisionally regarded as Cirripathes anguina, Dana. 

 The stem may or may not present alternate dilations and contractions ; it is apparently 

 never twisted into regular spirals and the spines are not distinctly shorter on one aspect 

 than on that opposite to it. 



In the specimen from Se)'chelles described and figured by Gray in 1857 (38) the 

 polyps, though dried, are distinctly seen on some parts of the stem, where about four 

 are arranged to each centimetre in the length of the stem. There are three very fine 

 specimens of this species in the British Museum from Billiton. The longest measures 

 over 3 '6 m. in length. In nearly all the specimens which have come under my notice the 

 stem is relatively thick (5 to 10 mm.). The Ceylon specimen, which I doubtfully refer 

 to this species (B. M., Eeg. No. 82. 7. 21. 3.), is more distinctly tapering than the majority 

 of specimens, and, in its upper portion, the spines are stronger and less numerous. It 

 measures 1'8 m. in length and has a diameter of 8 mm. at the base and 2 mm. at the apex. 



