REPORT ON THE ALCYONARIA. 261 



Here may be placed — 



Telesto mirantiaca, Lamx. | Telcsto ramulosa, Verrill. 



Telesto fruticulosa, Daiui. 



Teksto rigida, n. sp. (PL XXXVII. fig. 3 ; PL XLII. fig. 9). 



The long solitary polyp tubes arise from stolons, which creep over dead coral, &c. 

 The main polyps have lateral polyps which arise more or less at a right angle, and these 

 again may give rise to a third series. The polyp walls are rigid and smooth ; the spicules, 

 interlocking with one another, form a continuous layer, thus constituting a fairly solid 

 tube. The colour is an orange red. 



The stolons are flat, and overrun dead coral and other foreign bodies. Thej^ some- 

 times end in terminal polyps. The primary polyps attain a height of 10 to IG mm. 

 with a diameter of from 2 to 3 mm. These are narrow at their bases, widening gradually 

 towards the oral regions. The terminal portion of the pol}^ is soft and retractile : when 

 retracted, the terminal portion assumes the appearance of an eight-rayed star. The outer 

 polyp wall is smooth. 



Individual polyps sometimes lengthen out into axial polyps of 25 mm. in height, and 

 these bear lateral polyps, which arise at irregular intervals. Some of these latter develop 

 buds ; but further ramifications do not seem to be developed. The lateral polyps do not 

 differ in form from the main polyps, and are about 10 mm. high and 3 mm. in diameter. 



The spicules which are found in the polyp walls are mostly of irregular forms, but are 

 more or less flattened, and elongated in one direction. On either side of these flattened 

 discs more or less deep and even branching dentations are found ; on the surface of some 

 blunt projections are seen, and interspaces, which would seem to indicate that they are the 

 result of smaller spicules fused together. These spicules become often so much interlocked 

 that they cannot be separated even after maceration and boding with caustic potash. 

 Their size and form vary greatly, length and breadth of some being respectively as 

 follows, 0-37 and 0-12; 0-183 and 0-058; 0-083 and 0-043; 0-183 and 0-05 ; 0-1 and 

 0-05 mm. 



In the retractile portion of the polyps the spicules become more spindle-like and form 

 loose bundles. The tentacles are full of longitudinal buntUes of spindle-shaped spicules 

 beset wdth sharp spines. These have a length and breadth respectively of 0-3 to 0-032 ; 

 0-25 to 0-025 ; 0-283 to 0-028 mm. 



The species is distinguished from tliose allied to it by the form of the spicules and 

 the absence of the usual longitudinal ridges and furrows. 



Habitat. — Station 71, west of the Azores ; depth, 1675 fathoms ; bottom, Globigerina 

 ooze. 



