245 



rarely anastomose ; terminal branches short and often club-shaped at the end. 

 Coenenchyma thin, with xiiudl warty spindles with lonrts hirgcr on one side than 

 on the other. In the superficial layer they lie apposed in pavement-like fashion, 

 and among them are smaller warty spindles : these also cover the verrucfB. 

 Verrueiv short, arising at right angles to the stem, with circular apertures with 

 eight lobes. The dimensions of the spindles, length and breadth in millimetres, 

 are : — 



{a) Large, 06 x 0-3 ; 05 x OS ; 0-3 x 01. 



{h) Small, 0-25 x 0-07 ; 0-23 x 0-07 ; 0-2 x 0-04. 



The axis is horny and blackish-brown in colour. The colour of the cortex 

 is greyish-white. 



Localities : Arafura Sea, South of Papua, 49 fathoms, Wright and 

 Studer. 



MuriceUa nitida, Verrill. 



M. niiida, Verrill. " Amer. Journ. Sci. Arts," xlv. (1.S08), p. 412. 



M. nitida, Wright and Studer. " ' Challenger ' Report," vol. xxxi. p. 129. 



M. idtida, Thomson and Henderson. " Ceylon Pearl Oyster Fisheries," 

 Alcyonaria— Report XX. Roy. Soc, p. 302, 1905. 



Branched closely and flattened in one plane ; branches oeeur iip to the Jifth 

 order at acute amiles ; all the liranches and twigs remain of nearly the same 

 diameter throughout. On the stem and branches the />«////« occur niainly on one 

 surface oftlie colony, but more abundantly towards the margin ; on terminal twigs 

 laterally about 2 mm. apart. Verrucfe truncated cones, diameter at base and 

 height about 1 mm. ; usually at right angles, but near the apex obliquely towards 

 the stem. Tentacular operculum a bright yellow low cone within the verruca, 

 consisting of eight triangular groups of three spicules and a well-developed 

 collaret. Spicules of verruca^ upright or oblique. Spicules (1) ccenenchyma — 

 spindles curved or S-shaped, covered with spinose warts, 2 mm. x 0"13 mm. to 1 

 mm. X 0"125 mm. ; (2) verrucre — spindles, 0"8 mm. x 0"125 mm., 1 mm. x 0"125 

 mm. ; (3) tentacular operculum — spiny spindles, 0"30 mm. x 01)5 mm. ; (4) 

 collaret — curved spiny spindles, 075 mm. x 0'075 mm. Axis horny, flexible, 

 brown to yellowish. Colour — shining coral-red with tentacular operculum yellow. 



Localities : Hyalonema-ground, off Japan, 345 fathoms ; Ceyloii Seas. 



MuriceUa tenera, Ridley. 



M. tenera, Ridley. " Zool. Coll. of the ' Alert,' " p. 335. Plate XXXVI. 4 figs. 

 M. tenera, Wright and Studer. " ' Challenger ' Report," vol. xxxi. p. 124. 

 M. tenera, Hiles. " Gorgonacean Corals from Funafuti," P.Z.S., p. 50, 1899. 

 Branching erect, approximately in one i^lane ; branches pinnate, sub- 

 alternate ; main stem and larger branches flattened in the plane of ramification. 



