198 Papers from the Marine Biological Laboratory at Tortugas. 



development are common. A number of colonies with ooecia containing 

 eggs were on June 23 taken from the bottom of a skiff which had been in the 

 water only since May i. The color in life is dark brick-red, which makes 

 the colonies quite conspicuous against the background in spite of their 

 small size. The presence of this species in American waters has hitherto 

 escaped notice. 



While there has never been any question as to the validity of this spe- 

 cies, there has been great confusion as to its generic position ever since its 

 discovery. This has been sufficiently discussed by Norman (1. c). Waters 

 (1. c), and Levinsen (1. c). Waters remarks "though it certainly never 

 ought to have been placed under Catenaria, it seems best to leave it here," 

 but Levinsen solves the problem by the erection of a new genus Savignyella. 

 This seems the only proper course, since the species does not have generic 

 relationship with any of the older genera {Catenaria, Eucratea, Alysidium, 

 Catenicella) in which it has been placed by previous authors. 



Genus Hippothoa Lamouroux, 1821. 

 Hippothoa distans MacGillivray. 



IMacGillivray, 1868, p. 130.— Jelly, 1889, p. 112 {Hippothoa flagellum), references. — 

 Waters, 1904, p. 54, synonymy and references. 



This minute species occurs abundantly at the Tortugas from low water 

 to 12 fathoms, spreading over the inside of dead shells. Ooecia are abun- 

 dantly developed . The ' ' short processes arising from the side of the zooecium , 

 below the lateral tubular branches," described and figured by Waters (1. c.) 

 as occurring on specimens from Sydney, New South Wales, are developed 

 on many of the zooecia. I am unable to add anything to Waters's descrip- 

 tion of this organ, except that it is constricted at the base where it is attached 

 by a movable joint to the zooecium. 



The species is very widely distributed in European seas, New Zealand, 

 Australia, Pacific Ocean, Cape Horn, etc., but has not hitherto been noticed 

 on the American side of the Atlantic. 



Genus Trypostega Levinsen, 1909. 



Trypostega venusta (Norman). 



Norman, 1864, p. 84 (Lepralia venusta) and 1909, p. 299. — Gabb and Horn, 1862, 

 p. 127 {Lepralia inornata). — Smitt, 1873, p. 37 {Gemellipora glabra, forma 

 striatula) and p. 61 {Lepralia inornata Gabb and Horn). — Jelly, 1889, 

 p. 233 {Schizoporella striatula), p. 237 (5. venusta) and p. 128 {Lepralia inor- 

 nata). — Levinsen, 1902, p. 23, and 1909, p. 281 {Trypostega venusta). 



On shells, Steganoporella and OcuUna, at 5 to 15 fathoms. Smitt 



recorded it as Gemellipora glabra forma striatula, incrusting nullipores at a 



depth of 68 fathoms, one colony, and as Lepralia inornata, two colonies from 



26 and 60 fathoms. After careful study of the material at hand, I am unable 



to distinguish more than one species, or to separate it from the venusta of 



Norman, even as a variety. The form of the aperture, the umbonate knob 



below, the puncturing, the character of the dwarf zooecia and their relation 



