824 SYDNEY J. HICKSON. 



Order ALCYONACEA. 



Family Nephthyidae. 



Eunephthya maldivensis, n. sp. Fig. 12. 



Locality. Kolumadulu Atoll, between 22 and 4.5 fathoms. 



A single specimen was obtained. It has a total height of 40 mm. with a stalk 20 mm. 

 in length, and numerous short pointed branches. The largest anthocodiae have a ^^^dth across 

 the crown of 0"6 mm. and, varying according to the condition of their retraction, protrude 

 0-6 — 1"5 mm. from the coenenchjTu. The anthocodiae are not collected in bundles, but large 

 and small are scattered evenly on all sides of the branches. The tentacles are either expanded 

 or folded over the peristom. They are about 0'3 mm. in length in the spirit specimen, and 

 each bears 7 — 9 pinnules on each side. 



The spiculation of the specimen is remarkable. The surface of the stalk bears a crowd of 

 very irregular stellate (fig. 12 h), rod-like and short spindle-shaped spicules, with an average 

 length of about 0'2 mm. In the mesogloea of the stalk there are numerous stout tuberculated 

 spindles 05 mm. x 01 mm. 



On the surface of the branches the irregular spicules are wanting, but a few giant 

 boomerang-shaped spindles are scattered about very irregularly. These large spicules have a 

 remarkable resemblance to the spicules of the coenenchym of Spongodes, in shape, in the 

 irregularity of their distribution and their great variability in size. Many spicules can be found 

 among them which are 1-5 mm. in length, but the average length -would probably be found to 

 be about 1"2 mm. and some are less than 0'5 mm. (fig. 12 a). 



The aboral sides of the tentacles are armed with small irregular sjjicules, mostly rod-shaped 

 with long tubercular j)rocesses having a length of "05 — '1 mm., and a few of the large spicules 

 are occasionally found on the body wall (fig. 12 c). 



The specimen has very much the form and size of the specimen described by Kukenthal (15) 

 from Ternate, as Paraspongodes crassa, but it differs from it in having the branches rather 

 more pointed, and in some of the details of the spiculation. It has also some relation to the 

 genus Lemnalia as recently described by Bourne, but differs from it in the scarcity and great 

 size of the spicules of the coenenchym. 



In a recent paper Studer (22) has given reasons for retaining the genus Eunephthya, and 

 the new definition he gives of it accords more nearly wdth the species from the Maldives than 

 that of any other genus. 



KtikenthaU, moreover, in his last paper also accepts the genus Eunephthya. According to 

 the definition of the genus given by either of these authors the specimen clearly belongs 

 to it. As it seems to differ, however, from any species that has yet been described I propose 

 to call it E. maldivensis. 



> W. Kiikenthal, HaeckeVs Festschrift, 1904. 



