Verrill, Azotes on Madiata. 425 



B. — Verrucce. more or less prominent ; cells hilabiate, or opening upward^ with the lower 



lip more or less prolonged. 

 1. — Verrucce large, elevated, spreading, neither oppressed nor imbricated, or hut 

 slightly so. 



Muricea crassa Ven-m, sp. nov. 



Plate VII, figui-e 10. Plate VIII, figure 5. 



Corallum very large, diehotomous, branching nearly in a plane, the 

 branches thick, clavate, covered with large, promhient, coarse verrucas, 

 which are rough with very large, thick, blunt spicula. 



Three or four large main branches usually arise from a thick, swol- 

 len base. These fork at distances of two or three inclies, many of the 

 secondary branches being three or four times diehotomous ; while oth- 

 ers are subpinnate, the branchlets usually alternating on opposite 

 sides and from one to two inches apart ; others give off branchlets 

 only on the outside. The branches and branchlets are all thick, often 

 crooked, and bend outward at first, m a broad curve, and then up- 

 ward. Toward the base some of the branches are occasionally co- 

 alescent. The terminal branchlets are from one and a half to four 

 inches long, smaller at base than the branches, but enlarging teward 

 the obtusely rounded end, where they are much enlarged and often 

 clavate, frequently having a diameter of half an inch or more. The 

 crowded verruca? stand at nearly right angles to the surface of the 

 branchlets and are very large, prominent, rough with large, stout, 

 coarse spicula, which are mostly rather blunt at the ends, forming 

 therefore coarse but not sharp spinules at the summit, a cluster of 

 which are a little prolonged, so as to form a short lower lij), which is 

 usually a little incurved in contraction, so as to conceal the cell, wiiich 

 opens upward and inward. Tlie large verrucae of the branchlets are 

 usually broad at base, somewhat conical, higher than broad, strongly 

 echinate at summit ; those of the main branches and trunk are dis- 

 tantly scattered, rounded, low, scarcely as high as broad. 



Coenenchyma moderately thick, coarse, with very lai-ge, irregular, 

 blunt spicula, conspicuous at the surface. Axis horn-like, light wood 

 brown at base ; round, black, strongly striated in the larger branches, 

 with the axils scarcely compressed ; soft, thick, rigid and brittle when 

 dry, and dark brown in the terminal branchlets. Color dark brown, 

 yellowish brown at base. 



Height 20 inches ; breadth 18; diameter of main branches '50 to 

 •90 ; of terminal branchlets "30 at base, '50 or -60 near the tips ; height 

 of verrucne '15 to '2,0 ; diameter 'lO. 



