ALCYONAltlAN CORAI.S. 

 Magnmum carbonate and calcium phosphate in alcyoiwriana. 



13 



Spedee. 



Locality. 



Latitude. CajPjOg. ! MgCOj. 



25" 45' N. 

 42° 16' N . 

 45°11'N. 

 38° 33' N . 

 44° 47' N . 



Pleurocorallium johnsoiii I Atlantic 



Primnoa reseda \ Nova Scotia... 



A kyonium carneum Newfoundland 



Lejiidisis caryopliyllia Off Nantucket 



I'ennatula aculcata Atlantic 



Paramuricea borealis Grand Baiiks. . 



Paragorgia arborea Nova Scotia | 



Corallium rubrum -. Mediterranean | 



Alcyouiuni pahnatum Mediterranean? i" • • i Vr 



Corallium elati or Japan ] 33 N 



Tubipora purpurea Singapore. , U^„,<, 



Muricea echinata l^ape ban Lucas 22° 52' N 



Gorgonia acerosa 



Muricea liumilis 



Rhipidogorgia flabellum 



Xiphogorgia anceps 



Kliipidogorgia flabellum 



Gorgonia acerosa 



Gorgonia suffruticosa , oao -la, \^ 



Leptogorgia pulchra Lower Califorma 24° 16' N 



Plexaurella grandiflora 1 Brazil AAiVo/ivf 



Leptogorgia rigida l Cape San Lucas i 22 52' N 



Ctenocella pectinata | Torres Strait | 10 S-.. 



Phyllogoigia quercifolia I Brazil i 3 60 JN. 



Bahamas i 25° 5' N. 



Brazil ' 7°-8° S... 



Bermuda I 32° N 



Florida ' 23°30'N. 



Bahamas 1 25° N 



Florida I 23°30'N. 



Fiji. 



Since fhe foregoing table was compiled Prof. L. R. Gary, of Princeton University, has 

 kindly sent me a series of unpublished analyses of alcyonarian spicules from specimens collected 

 in shallow reefs around the Tortugas and southern Florida. The spicules were separated from 

 oro-anic matter by treatment with a strong solution of caustic soda and subsequent washing with 

 rahi water until they were freed from impurities. The analyses, by Prof. A. H. Phillips, are as 



follows : 



Analyses of alcyonarian spicules frora the Tortugas and southern Florida. 



These analyses admirably confirm the analyses, made in the Survey laboratory, of alcyo- 

 narians from the same region and the Bahamas. In addition, Prof. PhiUips made a partial 

 analysis of spicules from Alcyonium rigidum from Samoa, in which he found 10.50 per cent of 

 magnesium carbonate. 



Althougli records of temperature and depths are available for only a few of these alcyo- 

 narians, the suggested relation is clearly evident. The organisms from cold, northern waters or 

 from very deep waters are low in magnesia, and those from warm regions are high. The same 

 relation appears in our analyses of echinoderms and is unmistakable. It is not rigorously exact, 

 but some apparent hregularities are due to impurities, such as sand and mud, which appear in 

 the analyses as silica and sesquioxides. If these were rejected the percentage of magnesia 



