166 



Locality : Andaman Sea, 19 fathoms. 



Another reticulate colony is 170 mm. in height and 9U mm. in maximum 

 breadth. The main stem, which measures 3-5 mm. in diameter, arises from 

 a spreading base ; it reaches a length of 45 mm. and then bifurcates, one of 

 the branches ascending the whole length of the colony, the other after a distance 

 of 12 mm. becoming indistinguishable from the smaller branches. The branch- 

 ing is irregular, forming a flabellate colony by the anastomosing of the sinuous 

 branches. The meshes are large and for the most part quadi-angular, but 

 triangular and pentagonal shapes also occur. 



The ccenenchyma is thick and presents a beautiful sculptured appear- 

 ance in the form of short irregular ridges or almost hemispherical papillt\;. 

 These ridges are sinuous sometimes passing up the verrucse and appearing as 

 teeth on the edge. They are formed of segregations of spicules and appear 

 white against the brown background. 



The polyps are scattered over the whole crenenchyma at varying intervals. 

 In the smaller twigs they ai-e sometimes clustered, at other times placed at 

 intervals of 1 mm. The verrucas are short and cylindrical and have the same 

 ornate structure as the ccenenchyma. The anthocodiai are almost wholly 

 retractile. When expanded the tentacles are seen to be brown in colour and 

 without spicules. At the base of these there are distinct triangles formed of 

 long spindles arranged " en chevron " — four to six pairs in each " point ". No 

 distinct collaret could be found owing to the extreme bi'ittleness of the polyp. 

 When the tentacles are retracted the " points " form a horizontally disposed 

 eight-rayed operculum. 



The axis is brown in colour and is made up of large smooth hyaline spicules 

 with blunt ends. It is not penetrated by solenia. 



The general colour of the colony is light brown and is interrupted by 

 sculpturing visible to the naked eye. 



The spicules are of the following types, with measurements length by 

 breadth in millimetres : — 



Long warty spindles, 0-11 x 0025 ; 012 x 0025. 



Short and thick warty spindles, 00(3 x 0035 ; 007 x 0035. 



Small warty double clubs, 03 x 02 ; constriction 005 in diameter. 



0-035 X 003 ; „ 001 „ 



003 X 00175 ; „ 00075 „ 



Small double wheels with warty "hubs," 0-04 x 0-0275 ; 0-04x0025; 

 0-045 X 0025. 



The spindles of the anthocodire are not so warty as those of the ccenen- 

 chyma, they measure 0-1 x 002 ; 0-12 x 00175. 



This species is allied to S. rerriciihifa but differs from it especially in the 

 sculpturing of the ccenenchyma and in the details of spiculation. 



