86 PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM vol. 9t 



Family PLUMULARIDAE 

 Genus AGLAOPHENIA Lamoroux (modified) 



AGLAOPHENIA INCONSTANS, new species 



Plate 18, Figure 13 



■ TrophosoiriAe. — Colonies varying in appearance; one, 17.5 cm. long, 

 has no branches, and all the hydrocladia have disappeared from the 

 stem except for about 2.5 cm. at the distal end, while at the other 

 extreme a distal fragment of the main stem, 6 cm. long, has six branches, 

 each replacing a hydrocladium and each regularly bearing hydro- 

 cladia; the longest branch is 2.0 cm. Stems, with the exception of 

 the proximal portion, and branches are divided into regular, rather 

 short internodes by definite nodes, each internode bearing a hydro- 

 cladial process near the distal end ; these processes alternate from side 

 to side but are not nearly in the same plane ; two in succession may 

 form an angle as low as 60°. Hydrocladia short for the size of the 

 colony, as short as in some of the minute species of this genus, divided 

 into regular internodes by definite nodes; each hydrotheca occupies 

 almost all the internode, so that there is little space between two 

 hydrothecae in succession ; distinctly deeper than broad ; margin with 

 nine irregular and irregularly placed teeth ; the median tooth is slender, 

 sharp-pointed, and strongly retrorse ; each of the first lateral pair is 

 also slender and acute but points outward; between the first and the 

 second there is a wide and deep sinus ; the second is lower and blunter 

 than the first ; the sinus between the second and third is shallower, and 

 the third tooth is blunter than the second ; the next sinus is even less 

 marked, for the fourth lateral tooth is rather insignificant in size and 

 in some cases can scarcely be observed. The intrathecal ridge is 

 prominent, and there is a second one indicated at the base of the 

 supracalycine nematophore. 



The supracalycine nematophores are large, slightly overtopping the 

 hydrothecal margin ; the mesial nematophore is short, not reaching to 

 the margin of the hydrotheca and not projecting outward very notice- 

 ably. There are three nematophores on each internode of the stem 

 or branch; one on the hydrocladia! process, one at the base of this 

 process, and one in the axil, this being larger than either of the others. 



Gonosome. — Not observed. 



Type.—V.S.'^M. No. 43457. Taken by the United States Fisheries 

 ^t^dim^Y Albatross at station 3497, latitude 56°18' N., longitude 169°38' 

 W., Bering Sea, 86 fathoms, July 17, 1893. 



