﻿358 
  COLLECTIONS 
  FROM 
  MELANESIA. 
  

  

  1 
  millim. 
  in 
  diameter 
  at 
  its 
  base, 
  placed 
  oa 
  the 
  larger 
  and 
  medium- 
  

   sized 
  branches. 
  Axis 
  of 
  soft 
  joints 
  firm, 
  brick-red 
  in 
  colour; 
  that 
  

   of 
  interuodes 
  crimson, 
  traversed 
  by 
  numerous 
  longitudinal 
  canals 
  in 
  

   the 
  stem 
  and 
  larger 
  branches, 
  in 
  the 
  small 
  branches 
  deeply 
  chan- 
  

   nelled 
  by 
  longitudinal 
  forrows. 
  

  

  Spicules 
  of 
  general 
  cortex 
  : 
  — 
  (i.) 
  Largei', 
  fusiform, 
  the 
  ends 
  rather 
  

   blunt, 
  the 
  shaft 
  stout, 
  beset 
  with 
  numerous 
  strong 
  and 
  prominent 
  

   tubercles, 
  their 
  ends 
  strongly 
  microtuberculate, 
  irregularly 
  distri- 
  

   buted 
  'jver 
  the 
  spicule; 
  size 
  •21 
  by 
  •0()2 
  millim. 
  (ii.) 
  Smaller, 
  sub- 
  

   cubical, 
  looking 
  as 
  if 
  formed 
  by 
  an 
  aggregation 
  of 
  tubercles 
  like 
  those 
  

   of 
  (i.) 
  ; 
  diameter 
  •07 
  millim. 
  Spicules 
  of 
  verrucoe 
  : 
  — 
  (iii.) 
  Longitu- 
  

   dinal, 
  fusiform, 
  with 
  blunt 
  ends, 
  provided 
  with 
  numerous 
  and 
  strong 
  

   tubercles 
  of 
  a 
  length 
  equal 
  to 
  half 
  the 
  diameter 
  of 
  the 
  shaft 
  of 
  the 
  

   spicule 
  ; 
  size 
  ^21 
  by 
  •035 
  millim. 
  (iv.) 
  Horizontal, 
  fusiform, 
  tapering 
  

   to 
  sharp 
  points, 
  tubercles 
  numerous 
  but 
  small 
  and 
  sharp 
  ; 
  size 
  as 
  (iii.\ 
  

  

  Hah. 
  Port 
  Molle, 
  Queensland, 
  12-20 
  fms. 
  

  

  Two 
  dry 
  specimens 
  represent 
  this 
  beautiful 
  species. 
  The 
  common 
  

   stem 
  of 
  the 
  largest 
  is 
  31 
  millim. 
  long, 
  its 
  total 
  height 
  130 
  millim. 
  

   (5 
  inches), 
  its 
  maximum 
  width 
  76 
  millim. 
  (3 
  inches). 
  The 
  species 
  

   differs 
  from 
  M. 
  ocliracea 
  externally 
  by 
  the 
  presence 
  of 
  two 
  kinds 
  of 
  

   zooids, 
  by 
  the 
  sleudcrness 
  of 
  the 
  stem, 
  and 
  the 
  slight 
  difference 
  in 
  

   thickness 
  between 
  the 
  main 
  and 
  the 
  lesser 
  branches, 
  by 
  the 
  greater 
  

   relative 
  length 
  of 
  the 
  internodes 
  and 
  the 
  rounded 
  outline 
  of 
  the 
  joints, 
  

   the 
  almost 
  complete 
  anastomosis 
  of 
  the 
  branches, 
  and 
  the 
  whitish 
  

   ground-colour 
  of 
  the 
  cortex 
  ; 
  in 
  its 
  minute 
  characters 
  it 
  is 
  distin- 
  

   guished 
  by 
  the 
  long 
  cortical 
  spicules 
  being 
  stouter 
  and 
  about 
  half 
  

   as 
  long 
  again 
  as 
  in 
  M. 
  ocliracea.^ 
  and 
  by 
  the 
  stronger 
  tuberculation 
  

   of 
  those 
  of 
  the 
  verrucse. 
  Although, 
  as 
  in 
  the 
  cases 
  of 
  Alcyonium 
  

   and 
  Sarcophutum, 
  Xenia 
  and 
  Heteroxenia, 
  two 
  otherwise 
  nearly 
  

   related 
  qenera 
  have 
  been 
  shown 
  to 
  be 
  distinguished 
  by 
  the 
  character 
  

   of 
  dimorphism 
  in 
  the 
  polypes 
  of 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  i)air, 
  I 
  do 
  not 
  know 
  

   anj- 
  other 
  case 
  in 
  which, 
  as 
  here, 
  a 
  species 
  is 
  referable 
  on 
  all 
  other 
  

   grounds 
  but 
  this 
  one 
  character 
  to 
  the 
  same 
  genus 
  as 
  other 
  species 
  

   which 
  do 
  not 
  exhibit 
  it. 
  

  

  MOPSELLA. 
  

  

  Mopsella, 
  Gray, 
  P. 
  Z. 
  8. 
  1857, 
  p. 
  284. 
  

   Melitella, 
  Graij, 
  P. 
  Z. 
  S. 
  1859, 
  p. 
  485. 
  

  

  Both 
  hard 
  and 
  soft 
  axis 
  perforated 
  by 
  longitudinal 
  canals 
  wherever 
  

   stout 
  enough 
  to 
  carry 
  them. 
  Cortical 
  spicules 
  of 
  two 
  kinds, 
  fusiform 
  

   and 
  foliated 
  (" 
  Blattkcule," 
  IvoUiker). 
  The 
  presence 
  of 
  this 
  foliated 
  

   spicule 
  distinguishes 
  the 
  genus 
  from 
  Melitodes 
  and 
  Acaban'a 
  ; 
  this, 
  in 
  

   conjunction 
  with 
  the 
  perforation 
  of 
  the 
  hard 
  axis, 
  from 
  Clathraria. 
  

  

  33. 
  Mopsella 
  textiformis, 
  

  

  Melitsea 
  textiformis, 
  Lamarck, 
  Mem. 
  Mus. 
  Hist. 
  Nat. 
  i. 
  p. 
  412 
  

  

  Lamouroiix, 
  Polyp. 
  Jlexibles, 
  p. 
  4l!4, 
  pi. 
  xix. 
  fig. 
  1. 
  

   Melithaea 
  textiformis, 
  M.-Edicards 
  ^ 
  Haime, 
  Uist._ 
  Cor. 
  i. 
  p. 
  201. 
  

  

  