DESCRIPTIONS OF THE ALCYONARIA COLLECTED BY 

 THE U. S. FISHERIES STEADIER "ALBATROSS," MAINLY 

 IN JAPANESE WATERS, DURING 1906. 



By Charles C. Nutting, 



Professor of Zoology, State University of Iowa. 



INTRODUCTION. 



But an insignificant proportion of the alcyonarian material col- 

 lected by the U. S. Fisheries steamer Albatross during her cruise in 

 the Northwest Pacific during 1906 was secured outside of Japanese 

 waters. Hence this paper is substantially a contribution to our 

 knowledge of the Japanese Alcyonaria. 



The surprising richness of the marine fauna in the vicinity of Japan 

 has long been recognized, and the extent of the collection of Alcyona- 

 ria secured by the Albatross was, in some degree at least, anticipated, 

 although the number of new forms is somewhat greater than might 

 have been expected, especially in view of the number of excellent 

 papers that have appeared in recent years treating of the Alcyonaria 

 of those regions. 



A number of more or less extensive collections have made their 

 way to European museums and have been reported on by various 

 writers. Perhaps the most important of these collections was that 

 made during 1904-5 by Dr. F. Doflein and reported on by Prof. 

 W. Kiikenthal, who has discussed the Alcyonacea and Gorgonacea^ 

 in three masterly monographs, giving excellent discussions of these 

 groups in general, as well as of the species collected by Doctor Doflein. 

 The Pennatulacea are being reported on by Dr. H. Balss, who has 

 given some preliminary descriptions in the Zoologischer Anzeiger 

 for 1909. 



A notable work, Primnoidae von Japan, b}^ K. Kinoshita, appeared 

 in the Journal of the College of Science of the Imperial University 

 of Tokyo, 1908. The descriptions and figures in this work are 

 excellent, and proved an unusually efficient aid in identification of 

 species in the progress of the present work. 



I Beitrage zur Naturgeschichte Ostasiens. Herausgegeben von Dr. F. Doflein, Japanische Alcyonaceen, 

 1906; Japanische Gorgoniden, Teil 1, 1908; Tell II, 1909. 



Proceedings U. S. National Museum, Vol. 43-No. 1923 

 48702°— Proc.N.M.vol.43— 12 1 



