REPORT ON THE ANTIPATHARIA. 177 



[Antipathes] melancholica, Duch. 



Antipathes melancholica, Ducliassaing, Rev. d. Zooph. et d. Spong. d. Antilles, p. 23. 



Humilis, ramosa, ramis sparsis, distiche pinuatis ; pinnulis remotis, per totam longi- 

 tudinem alternatim nodosis ac strangulatis, inde quasi articulatis. 



Duchassaing says that this form approaches Antipathes dissecta, D. and M., but may 

 be distinguished by its smaller size, by its more isolated and robust pinnules, on which 

 the "nodes" are less frequent. Further, the branches which bear the pinnules also 

 have the " nodes," whereas 1 in Antipathes dissecta this is not the case. The colour of 

 the sclerenchynia is a greyish black. The difference between this form and Antipathes 

 dissecta, D. and M., is evidently not great, so far as Duchassaing has noted it, and I 

 should include it as probably synonymous with the latter species, were it not that I 

 presume the " nodes " of which he speaks are really dried polyps, and not thickenings 

 in the sclerenchynia. This view appears to be supported by Ducbassaing's statement 

 that " nodes " are present on the branches of Antipathes melancholica, and absent on 

 those of Antipathes dissecta. In a small colony like that of Antipathes melancholica 

 the polyps would probably be developed on both branches and pinnules, whereas in large 

 ones (Antipathes dissecta is 2 to 3 feet high) there is a greater tendency for the polyps 

 to be confined to the younger portions of the colony. Even should they prove to be 

 successive series of longer and shorter spines, as in Antipathes humilis, Pourt., this would 

 indicate that the polyps of this species are either larger or further apart (or both), a 

 character which, taken with those already indicated by Duchassaing, would probably be 

 sufficient justification for separating the two forms. This, however, is only supposition, 

 and until we obtain more precise information on the subject, it may be well to keep the 

 two forms separate. It should be mentioned that Antipathes dissecta, D. & M., has here 

 been regarded as probably synonymous with Leiopathes glaberrima, Esper, in consequence 

 of its similarity to that species and from the fact that the latter has been shown by 

 Pourtales to occur in the West Indies. 



Habitat. — OffDesirade Island (Lesser Antilles), associated -with Antipathes taxiformis 

 (Duch.). 



\_Antipathes] isidis-plocamos, Klunz. 



Antipathes isidis-plocamos, Klunzinger, Korallth. d. rothen Meeres, Abth. i. p. 61, pi. iv. 



fig. 5. 

 [A. isidis-plocamos, Ehrenb., Korallenth. d. rothen Meeres, p. 154. 

 ? A. compressa, Esp., pars, Pflanzenth., Tab. xiii. fig. 1, non figs. 2, 3.] 



Under this name Klunzinger has described some fragments of an Antipatharian from 

 the Pted Sea. The lower portion appears as if consisting of two stems fused together. 



(ZOOL. CHALL. EXP. — PART LXXX. — 1889.) Llll 23 



