VESICULARIA SPINOSA. 513 



Vesicularia SPINOSA, Linnffius. 



Plate LXXIII. figs. 3-7. 



Silk Coralline, Ellis, Corall. 20, no. 17, pi. xi. figs, b, B, C, D. 

 Sertularia SPINOSA, Linii. Syst. eel. 12, 1312 : Ellis ^ Sol. Zooph. 48 : 



LamJc. An. s. V. ed. 2, ii. 148. 

 Sertularia sekicea, Pall. Elench. 114. 



Laomedea SPINOSA, Lttmx. Pol. cor. flex. 208 : Blainv. Actinol. 474. 

 Valkeria SPINOSA, Flcm. B. A. 5.51 : Dalyell, Eem. Au. i. 251, pi. li. figs. 3, 



3«. 

 Vesicularia spinosa, J. V. Thomps. Zool. Illust. Mem. v. 98, pi. iii. 



figs. 1-8: Farre, Phil. Trans. 1837, 401, pi. xxii.: Van 



Ben. ' Eecherches,' Mem. Acad. Roy. Brux. xviii. 30, pi. iv. 



fig. C : Cotich, Corn. Faun. iii. 94, pi. xrii. fig. 1 : Johnst. 



B. Z. ed. 2, 370, pi. Ixxii, figs. 1-4. 



Zoarium confervoid, slender, of very delicate texture, the 

 principal and secondary shoots regularly branched, 

 rooted by a fibrous base; main stems overlaid with many 

 capillary tubes, zigzagged, tapering ; branchlets given 

 off from each bend in pairs, which are placed alter- 

 nately on different aspects of the stem, short, much 

 divided dichotomously, the divisions terminating in 

 spine-like points, jointed above each bifurcation. Zo- 

 cecia oval, transparent, rather distant, rising from a 

 circular orifice, with raised rim, three to each internode, 



Polypide with 8 tentacles. 



Height from about 4 inches to a foot. 



Habitat. On stones, oyster-shells, Coralhnes, weed, &c., 

 from tide-marks to deep water. 



Localities. The Nore (Ellis) : Guernsey, Fermain 

 Bay; South Devon; Ilfracombe, on weed in rock-pools, 

 and ofl" the Capstone, 8-10 fathoms ; Menai Straits ; 

 Llandudno; Lytham, Lancashire; Isle of Man; Yorkshire 

 (T. H.) : Liverpool (Landsb.) : off the Deadman, on 

 Corallines, rare (Couch) : S.E. of Yarmouth (Kirchen- 

 pauer) : near Hartlepool, rare (J. Hogg) : Cullercoats, 



2l 



