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PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM 



to straw yellow in the branches, where there is a greenish-golden 

 h-idescence; zooids white. 



The zooids are subclavate, about 1 mm. in height by 0.65 — 0.75 

 mm. in diameter, directed distally to a slight degree. Those in the 

 older parts of the colony have a pronounced asymmetrical basal 

 swelling containing gonads. The body of the zooid is covered by a 

 layer of long, sometimes flattened, rather pointed rods transversely 

 arranged and strongly bent to conform with the cm"vature of the 

 body. Many of these have on the upper or lower margin one or 

 more pronounced lobes or spines, which project outward from the 

 body of the zooid, giving it a decidedly spinose appearance, or imbri- 

 cate with the adjacent spicules. The rods tend to be flatter distally 

 in the zooid body, and immediately beneath the tentacles may consist 

 of thi'ee flat, pointed lobes, the middle one lying along the tentacle 

 back, the lateral ones conforming with the transverse spicules below. 

 The tentacles themselves usually have proximally one or two pairs of 

 longitudinally disposed, irregular flattened sclerites rudely en chevron 

 arrangement, usually followed distally by two or thi-ee rows of longi- 

 tudinally placed spicules, each row consisting of one or more long, 

 flattened, somewhat granular rods. Beyond these, toward the tip, 

 the small, elongate, irregular scales lie crosswise. The pinnules contain 

 small, blunt-ended, flattened rods. 



Figure 56.- — Chrysogorgia elisabethae, new species: a, A fully developed terminal zooid 

 from one of the lower branches; b, a zooid with basal swelling containing gonads, taken 

 from one of the proximal internodes. 



The coenenchyma is thin and easily rubbed off; it contains elongate 

 spinous rods and crosses, for the most part lying lengthwise of the axis. 



Some of the irregular body spicules measure as follows in maximum 

 length and width (mm.): 0.6 by 0.25; 0.55 by 0.35; 0.55 by 0.15; 0.45 

 by 0.15. From the tentacle bases: 0.35 by 0.05; 0.35 by 0.06; 0.23 by 

 0.05. From the distal part of the tentacle: 0.18 by 0.07; 0.09 by 0.02. 

 From the coenenchyma: 0.4 by 0.07; 0.41 by 0.08; 0.34 by 0.07. 



