414 Verrill, Notes on Radiata. 



Psammogorgia Verriu. 



American Jour, of Sci., vol. xlv, p. 414, Maj^, 1868. 



Corallum dichotomous or subpinnate, with round branches. Axis 

 horn-like. Coenenchyma moderately thick, the surface finely granu- 

 lated with small rough spicula. Cells scattered, sometimes flat, more 

 frequently raised in the form of rounded verruca?. Polyps with 

 rather large, elongated, slender, warty spindles at the bases of the 

 tentacles. Spiciila of the coenenchyma mostly short, thick, and very 

 rough, warty spindles and rough, warty clubs of moderate size. 



Psammogorgia arbnscnla VerriU. 



Echinogorgia arhuscula Verrill, Proc. Boston Society Natural Hist., vol. x, p. 329, 



April, 1866. 

 Psammogorgia arhuscula Verrill, Amer. Jour. Science, xlv, p. 414, May, 1868. 



Plate V, figure 1 7. Plate VI, figure 9. 



CoraUum low, irregulai-ly dichotomous, subflabellifoma, several 

 stems often arising from one base. Base broad, encrusting, covered 

 with a thin coenenchyma, which usually bears polyps. From this, one 

 to twelve stems arise, which, when numerous, form rather dense 

 clumps of branches. The young stalks are often 2 to 4 inches long 

 before subdividing, enlarging upward to the obtusely rounded tips. 

 In other cases they subdivide clichotomously very near the base, the 

 main branches being about as large as the trunk. These again sub- 

 divide in a similar man ler into secondary and tertiary branches and 

 branchlets, which curve outward at base and then become subparallel, 

 but are often crooked and irregular, and sometimes coalesce. The 

 terminal branchlets are round, obtuse, scarcely tapering, often en- 

 larged at the tips, from 1 to 4 inches long, about as large as the 

 main branches. Coenenchyma moderately thick. Surface of the 

 coenenchyma roughly granular. Cells large, more or less prominent, 

 at the summit of rather large verruca?, which are often as high as 

 broad, uniformly scattered over all parts of the branches, arranged 

 somewhat in quincunx, the summits frequently eight-rayed. Color 

 dark red. In hfe, " stem bright red, polyps bright yellow." Height 

 of largest specimens 4 to 8 inches ; breadth 3 to 6 ; diameter of main 

 branches '15. 



Spicula bright red, mostly rather stout thorny spindles. Longer 

 spindles stout, with acute ends, covered with large thorny warts, 

 which are largest about the middle ; stouter spindles blunt at the ends, 

 and more thickly covered with similar rough warts. Other stout, 

 thick spicula, or "heads," about as thick as long, and crowdedly 



