EEPOET ON THE ALCYONARIA. 99 



species, Paramuricea spinosa, IvolL, and Paramuricea intermedia, KoU., are placed by 

 Kolliker in this genus. 



Ridley {loc. cit.) believes that for this genus the name Villogorgia, given by 

 Duchassaing and Michelotti,' in the year 18G0, to a species of the genus of Kolliker, has 

 the priority, and substitutes it for that proposed by Kolliker. He also therein includes 

 Paramuricea gracilis, Studer, Paramuricea horealis, Verrill, Boarella Jlahellata, Gray, 

 Brandella intricata, Gray, and as new, Villogorgia mauritiensis, Ridley. The substitu- 

 tion of Villogorgia for Paramuricea cannot be approved of, for the original diagnosis of 

 Duchaissaing and Michelotti was not only deficient but erroneous. The chief diagnostic 

 character given by these authors is the absence of spicules, which is not a fact even in 

 the case of some of the species described. So badly defined a generic name should not 

 be employed for a genus, the species of which ai'e distinguished in a marked manner by 

 the peculiar manner and development of their body-spicules. 



Verrill, in his account of the Anthozoa dredged by the "Blake" {loc. cit.), has also 

 employed the name Paramuricea, and has characterised the genus as " Coral variously 

 branched, often large. Ccenenchjona usually thick, filled with rough, fusiform and 

 irregular spicula, some of which often project from the surface as small spinules. 

 Calices short, cylindrical or verruciform, armed at the summit by a circle of short, 

 projecting spinules, which are formed by the distal ends of large spicula having a large, 

 irregular, flattened, usually lobed or flattened, basal portion, sides of calices with rough 

 spicula, part of them irregular and flattened. Bases of contracted tentacles form 

 eight triangular, convergent lobes, filled with spicula arranged en chevron ; a circle of 

 curved, transverse spicula surround the bases of these tentacular lobes." 



Verrill places here species from the northern part of the Atlantic Ocean and from the 

 Mediterranean, for the most part inhabitants of moderate depths. Besides the tjq^e 

 {Paramuricea placomus, Ehrbg.), three new species from the east coast of America are 

 included, also the following, formerly placed in Acanthogorgia — Paramuricea grayi 

 (Johns.), Paramuricea atlantica (Johns.), and Paramuricea hirta (Pourt.), to which 

 may be added Acanthogorgia johnsoni, Studer. 



The genus is here accepted as emended by Verrill. Other species placed here by 

 Ridley, as Brandella { Villogorgia, Ridley), intricata. Gray, and Villogorgia nigrescens, 

 Duch. and Mich., are placed by us in a separate genus. The species of Paramuricea 

 generally present large, upright, and for the most part strongly branched stems ; the 

 branching of wliich takes place in one plane. The axis is soft, ti-anslucent, horny, 

 generally a little flattened on the thinner branches and very flexible. The ca3nench}Tna 

 is not very thick. At the summit of the branches, which arc somewhat thickened at 

 their apexes, there are usually three to four polyps placed in diff"erent directions, none of 

 them being placed directly on the tennination of the branch. 



1 Coralliaires des Antilles, p. 32. 



