﻿336 
  COLLECTIONS 
  FROM 
  MELANESIA. 
  

  

  Ohs. 
  This 
  species 
  belongs 
  to 
  the 
  section 
  of 
  Muricea, 
  s. 
  lat., 
  which 
  

   Verrill 
  has 
  named 
  Murkclla 
  (Trans. 
  Conn. 
  Acad. 
  i. 
  p. 
  450). 
  It 
  

   appears 
  to 
  be 
  most 
  nearly 
  related 
  to 
  MuriceUa 
  jiexuosa, 
  Verrill, 
  of 
  

   described 
  species, 
  but 
  the 
  verrucas 
  appear 
  to 
  be 
  larger 
  than 
  in 
  any 
  

   species 
  yet 
  known 
  ; 
  perhaps 
  the 
  systematic 
  position 
  of 
  the 
  species 
  is 
  

   not 
  far 
  from 
  Nicella, 
  Gray. 
  

  

  10. 
  Muricea 
  umbraticoides. 
  

  

  Studer, 
  MB. 
  Ah. 
  Berlin, 
  1878, 
  p. 
  GoO, 
  pi. 
  iii. 
  fig. 
  16. 
  

  

  Studer's 
  description 
  and 
  figures 
  of 
  his 
  species 
  (obtained 
  from 
  

   Dirk 
  Hartog 
  Island, 
  on 
  the 
  west 
  coast 
  of 
  Australia, 
  about 
  26° 
  S. 
  lat., 
  

   in 
  45 
  fms.) 
  are 
  most 
  characteristic, 
  with 
  the 
  exception 
  that 
  the 
  

   "halbseitig 
  warzig" 
  character 
  of 
  the 
  spicules 
  appears 
  hardly 
  to 
  

   exist, 
  and 
  the 
  ti;bercles 
  should 
  be 
  rough 
  and 
  more 
  distinct 
  from 
  

   each 
  other 
  than 
  his 
  otherwise 
  good 
  figure 
  166 
  would 
  signifj^. 
  Two 
  

   dry 
  and 
  several 
  spirit 
  specimens 
  are 
  in 
  the 
  collection, 
  185 
  millim. 
  

   (7| 
  inches) 
  in 
  height. 
  

  

  Hab. 
  Port 
  Curtis, 
  Queensland, 
  5-11 
  fms., 
  bottom 
  sand 
  and 
  shells 
  ; 
  

   also 
  Port 
  Molle, 
  14 
  fms. 
  (from 
  Australian 
  Museum). 
  

  

  ECHINOMURICEA, 
  rerrill. 
  

  

  Acanthogorgia, 
  Johnston, 
  pars, 
  nee 
  Gray. 
  

  

  The 
  type 
  species 
  of 
  the 
  genus 
  is 
  E. 
  {Nephthya, 
  Stimpson) 
  coccinea, 
  

   Stimpson, 
  which 
  I 
  have 
  wrongly 
  retained 
  in 
  Nephthya 
  (Ann. 
  and 
  Mag. 
  

   N. 
  H. 
  (5) 
  ix. 
  p. 
  184), 
  having 
  overlooked 
  Verrill's 
  later 
  remarks 
  upon 
  

   the 
  species. 
  The 
  tj'pe 
  species 
  of 
  Acanthogo7-(/ia 
  (A. 
  hirsuta, 
  Gray) 
  

   appears 
  to 
  me 
  quite 
  distinct 
  gcnerically 
  from 
  the 
  two 
  (A. 
  grayi 
  and 
  

   A. 
  atlantica) 
  assigned 
  to 
  it 
  by 
  Johnston. 
  The 
  latter 
  agree 
  with 
  

   EcJunomnricea. 
  A 
  new 
  si^ecies 
  of 
  the 
  genus 
  occurs 
  in 
  the 
  collection. 
  

  

  11. 
  Echinomuricea 
  indo-malaccensis. 
  

  

  (Plate 
  XXXVI. 
  figs. 
  B, 
  B' 
  ; 
  Plate 
  XXXVIII. 
  figs, 
  d-d'".) 
  

  

  Corallum 
  erect, 
  branching 
  almost 
  exclusively 
  in 
  one 
  plane 
  at 
  

   angles 
  of 
  about 
  75°. 
  Branching 
  fundamentally 
  dichotomous, 
  accom- 
  

   panied 
  by 
  unilateral 
  pin 
  nation. 
  Branches 
  given 
  off 
  at 
  intervals 
  of 
  

   not 
  more 
  than 
  20 
  or 
  less 
  than 
  6 
  millim., 
  as 
  a 
  rule. 
  Branches 
  near 
  

   middle 
  of 
  colony 
  comparatively 
  short, 
  viz. 
  15 
  to 
  40 
  millim., 
  those 
  

   near 
  the 
  periphery 
  tend 
  to 
  become 
  very 
  long 
  (e.g. 
  up 
  to 
  160 
  millim.) 
  ; 
  

   cylindrical, 
  slightly 
  clavate, 
  being 
  about 
  2 
  to 
  3 
  millim. 
  in 
  diameter 
  

   at 
  their 
  commencement, 
  and 
  about 
  3 
  to 
  4 
  millim, 
  at 
  apex 
  in 
  large 
  

   specimens, 
  1-5 
  to 
  2 
  in 
  small 
  ones. 
  Axis 
  very 
  tough 
  and 
  flexible, 
  very 
  

   dark 
  brown 
  at 
  base, 
  paler 
  at 
  ends 
  of 
  branches. 
  Cortex 
  thin, 
  arena- 
  

   ceous 
  in 
  appearance, 
  red. 
  Verrucae 
  crowded 
  over 
  all 
  parts 
  of 
  cortex, 
  

   leaving 
  but 
  small 
  intervals, 
  prominent 
  but 
  truncate, 
  resembling 
  low 
  

   turrets 
  ; 
  in 
  expanded 
  condition 
  about 
  "3 
  millim. 
  high 
  and 
  1 
  millim. 
  

  

  