272 PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSETJIVI vol. loi 



Holotype.—V. S. N. M. No. 7552, from station 2129, U. S. F. C. 

 steamer Albatross; Caribbean Sea, south of Santiago cle Cuba; lat. 

 19°5G'04" N., long. 75°48'55" W.; 274 fatlioms; blue mud and fine 

 sand; February 27, 1884. 



Remarks. — From the character of its spiculation, Chrysogorgia 

 elisabethae appears to fall into the group Squamosae Aberrantes of 

 Versluys, since the spicules are generally flattened and are, to all 

 intents and purposes, scales. Ho^yever, the spicules are probably 

 derived from rods or spindles, as indicated by underdeveloped forms 

 present in young zooids. 



It is with much pleasure that I dedicate this new species to Dr. 

 Elisabeth Deichmann, of the Museum of Comparative Zoology, who 

 has contributed much to the knowledge of the Atlantic Alcyonaria. 



The genus Chrysogorgia has been most adequately covered by Dr. 

 Deichmann (1936, p. 227) in her monograph of the Alcyonaria of the 

 western part of the Atlantic Ocean. The key to the species given 

 therein is excellent, and need be altered only enough to include the 

 new species described here. 



KEY TO THE OF SPECIES OF CHRYSOGORGIA KNOWN FROM THE WESTERN 



ATLANTIC 



1 . Spicules of the zooids transversely arranged 2 



Spicules of the zooids longitudinally arranged 6 



2. Zooid spicules as pointed, curved, simple rods 3 



Zooid spicules as curved, sometimes flattened rods Vvith spinelike or 

 branchlike processes projecting outward from zooid body. 



elisabethae, new species 



3. Branches rigid, bent upward 4 



Branches not especially rigid, almost vertically placed 5 



4. Branches tend to ramify in one plane, becoming flabellate; internodes nu- 



merous, short desbonni Duchassaing and Michelotti 



Branches not predominately in one plane, nor flabellate; internodes few, 

 longer desbonni var. thyrsif ormis Deichmann 



5. Zooid spicules delicate, with small warts; coenenchyma spicules as 



short, simple rods, almost smooth fewkesi (VerriU) 



Zooid spicules stouter; coenenchyma spicules spinose. 



fewkesi var. multiflora Deichmann 



6. Spicules as pointed or blunt spinous rods elegans (Verrill) 



Spicules as flat, blunt ending plates 7 



7. Spicules as large, flat scales; branches robust, with large zooids verti- 



cally placed squamata (Verrill) 



Spicules as small, flat scales; branches delicate, hair-fine, with long 

 zooids obliquely placed agassizii (Verrill) 



