REPORT ON THE ANTIPATHARIA. 147 



of a branch may, however, in certain species become isolated. The stomodseum is 

 elongated in the sagittal axis, and the mouth opens at the apex of a prominent oral 

 cylinder or cone. The nematocysts are unusually large. There are ten mesenteries in 

 the gastrozooid, and only one in each of the gonozooids. 



The corallum is not attached by a dilated base to some foreign body, but the base 

 is free, flattened, and tapering, and is more or less hooked up at the extremity. In the 

 species at present known the stem is simple, and bears only two series of elongate and 

 simple branches. 



Schizopathes crassa, n. sp. (PI. VIII.). 



Branched portion of the corallum flattened, subtriangular ; branches lateral, alternate, 

 closely set ; the lower ones long, the others gradually becoming shorter towards the apex 

 of the stem. Spines short, conical, distant, arranged in longitudinal rows. 



The single specimen on which this species is based is the finest example of the 

 Schizopathina? contained in the Challenger Collection. The stem is 57 cm. long, 

 gracefully but gently flexuose, with a peculiar flattened sickle-like base replacing the 

 rounded horny disc by which the Antipathinse are attached to stones and other objects. 

 In this case the species is probably fixed by the base being embedded in the mud 

 constituting the bottom deposit in the area in which it occurs. The specimen is 53 cm. 

 high, and measures 53 cm. also across the lower branches. The stem is simple, much 

 flattened below, but gradually becoming cylindrical and slightly tapering above the lower 

 branches. Diameter between the basal branches 1 "3 x 2 mm. The largest branches 

 have a diameter of 1 mm. at the base. 



The basal 33 cm. of the stem is devoid of branches and forms a sickle-shaped stalk, by 

 which the corallum has probably been fixed. This stalk is much flattened and relatively 

 broad in the middle portion, tapering off again below to a small hooked point. Its greatest 

 breadth (3 mm.) is in a plane at right angles to that in which the branches extend. 

 This portion of the stem is smooth, excepting near the anterior surface, where there are 

 one or two rows of short spines on each side. The apical 2 - 5 cm. of the stem is also 

 without branches. 



In the intermediate portion there are seventy branches in all, which are lateral and 

 regularly alternate, excepting in one place near the apex of the stem, where three 

 branches are given off successively on the left side. The branches are subecpaidistant, 

 there being about twenty branches to each 12 cm. of the stem. The lowest branches 

 are 30 cm. long, and after ascending for some distance at an acute angle with the stem 

 become gently recurved in their distal halves. The middle branches are about 2 2 '5 cm. 

 long and nearly straight ; the terminal ones 2*7 and 3 "6 cm. long, with their distal portions 

 incurved, so as to be almost parallel with the stem. All form an acute angle with the axis. 



