﻿578 
  

  

  ALCYONARIA. 
  

  

  STUART 
  0. 
  RIDLEY. 
  

  

  The 
  series 
  of 
  Alcyonaria 
  collected 
  in 
  this 
  district 
  is 
  small, 
  but 
  -would 
  

   no 
  doubt, 
  from 
  what 
  has 
  been 
  recorded 
  from 
  Mauritius 
  by 
  other 
  

   authors 
  (e. 
  g. 
  by 
  Studer, 
  Mobius, 
  and 
  myself), 
  have 
  been 
  largely 
  in- 
  

   creased 
  had 
  time 
  and 
  apparatus 
  for 
  the 
  investigation 
  of 
  depths 
  

   exceeding 
  30 
  fathoms 
  been 
  available. 
  As 
  will 
  be 
  seen 
  below, 
  the 
  

   Amirantes 
  and 
  outlying 
  Mascarene 
  localities 
  supply 
  most 
  of 
  the 
  

   species 
  — 
  a 
  circumstance 
  which 
  is 
  satisfactory, 
  inasmuch 
  as 
  (with 
  the 
  

   exception 
  of 
  the 
  Seychelles 
  Islands, 
  where 
  Dr. 
  E. 
  P. 
  Wright 
  made 
  

   collections) 
  the 
  Alcyonaria 
  of 
  this 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  district 
  have 
  been 
  

   hitherto 
  practically 
  unknown. 
  Two 
  of 
  the 
  eight 
  species 
  recorded 
  

   (viz. 
  Sponrfodes 
  studcri, 
  n. 
  sp., 
  and 
  JunceUa 
  c/emmacea) 
  were 
  obtained 
  

   by 
  the 
  'Alert 
  ' 
  in 
  the 
  Austi-alian 
  seas 
  as 
  well 
  ; 
  of 
  the 
  remainder, 
  the 
  

   species 
  of 
  Wrightella 
  are 
  probably 
  confined 
  to 
  the 
  Red 
  Sea 
  and 
  its 
  

   neighbourhood. 
  The 
  second 
  new 
  species 
  {Muricea 
  hifurcata) 
  also 
  

   exhibits 
  Australian 
  affinities. 
  

  

  Distribution, 
  within 
  that 
  area, 
  of 
  Alcyonaria 
  obtained 
  in 
  the 
  Western 
  

   Indian 
  Ocean. 
  

  

  Family 
  ALCYONIID^. 
  

  

  1. 
  SpongocTts 
  unicolor, 
  Gray 
  

  

  2. 
  studeri, 
  n. 
  sp., 
  var. 
  lisvior 
  

  

  3. 
  Nepbthya, 
  sp 
  

  

  4. 
  , 
  sp 
  

  

  Family 
  PEIMNOID^. 
  

  

  5. 
  Muricea 
  hifurcata, 
  n. 
  sp. 
  

  

  Family 
  GOEGONELLID^. 
  

  

  6. 
  JunceUa 
  gemmacea, 
  M.-Edw. 
  ^ 
  Haime. 
  

  

  Family 
  MELITH^IDtE. 
  

  

  7. 
  Wrightella 
  chrysan 
  thus, 
  Gray 
  

  

  8. 
  coccinea, 
  Gray 
  

  

  ,2, 
  1"! 
  

  

  o 
  _S 
  

  

  g 
  p 
  

  

  

  