78 PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM. vol.43. 



however, possibly be due to some action of the preservative or other 

 chemical process. 



Locality. — Station 4784; East Cape, Attu Island, S. 18° W., 4 

 miles; 135 fathoms. 



Type-specimen.— C&t. No. 30019, U.S.N.M. 



Genus MURICELLA (emended). 



Calyces in the form of verrucse or truncated cones, spicules all spin^ 

 dies vertically arranged except on tentacle bases, where they are en 

 chevron. Calyx margin often showing eight blunt points. 



MURICELLA RETICULATA, new species. 

 Plate 14, figs. 1, la; plate 20, fig. 5. 



Colony flabellate and reticulate, 24 cm. in height and with a spread 

 of 15.5 cm. The main stem is straight for much of its length, giving 

 off numerous but irregularly disposed lateral branches, laterally com- 

 pressed except at basal portion, where it is round and 4 mm. in 

 diameter. On the branch-bearing part it is 5 by 3.5 mm. in section. 

 The main branches are likewise compressed in the same manner, espe- 

 cially in their proximal parts. Those on one side are alternating 

 stubs and large branches which often again divide, usually in a pinnate 

 manner, the ultimate twigs often anastomosing with those of adjacent 

 branches. Branchings of the fourth order are sometimes attained. 

 The branches are about 5 cm. apart. The calyces are thickly dis- 

 tributed on all sides of the branches, but are less abundant on the 

 back of the colony and most abundant on distal parts of the twigs, 

 where they are usually less than 1 mm. apart. 



The individual calyces are low cones or short tubes according to the 

 state of retraction of the polyps. A typical calyic measures 1 mm. 

 high to the collaret and is 1.3 mm. broad at the base; but they vary 

 much in size. Their walls are covered with rather heavy warty spin- 

 dles which often encircle the basal patt, but may lie in almost any 

 direction. On the distal parts the spindles are smaller, tending to be 

 vertical, sometimes approaching an en chevron arrangement, forming 

 blunt points which arise at regular intervals around the margin. 

 Tentacles armed with strong spindles which are arranged en chevron 

 proximally and are longitudinal distally. 



Spicules : Besides the spindles in the calyx walls and polyps, there 

 are two sorts found in the coenenchyma: 1, very large, heavy tuber- 

 culate spindles which are placed often at distant intervals and some- 

 times attain a length of 2.5 mm.; and 2, spindles of much smaller 

 size, often lying deeper on stem and branches, usually longitudinally 

 disposed except where they encircle the calyx bases. 



Color : Colony deep chocolate-brown, silvered by the large colorless 

 spicules. 



