428 Verrill, Notes on Radiata. 



short, crooked branchlets, mostly on the outer side, which are often at 

 distances of less than a quarter of an inch apart. Terminal branch- 

 lets one or two inches long, '25 in diameter, often tapering. Verruc?e 

 very slender, jjrominent, the lower li[) nuicli prolonged, acute, the sur- 

 face and summit rough with the sharp ends of the spicula. Cells 

 small, opening upward, often filled with a cluster of bright yellow 

 spicula from the bases of the tentacles. C'olor deep brown. 

 Pearl Islands,— F. H. Bradley. 



This species somewhat resembles the two following in color and ex- 

 ternal appearance. From the first it differs greatly in mode of growth, 

 and somewhat in tlie spicula ; Irom the second [31. austera) in its 

 much more slender, longer, and spreading ^■erruca?, and very decidedly 

 in its spicula. 



Muricea fruticosa Ven-iii, sp. nov. 



Plate VII, figm-e 2. 



Corallum large, very branching, caespitose, fruticose, with rather 

 small, somewhat clavate branchlets, and prominent, spreading, spi- 

 nose verrucse. 



The trunk is very stout and short, arising from a large irregular 

 base, and usually divides at once into several large, uneqiial main 

 branches, which rapidly divide and subdivide in an irregular manner, 

 the branches and branchlets usually not more than one quarter or 

 half inch apart. Sometimes several large main branches can be 

 traced for some distance, giving off numerous small branches from all 

 sides, but more frequently the subdivision is so rapid that the main 

 branches are very soon lost among the crowded and crooked branches. 

 The small branches near the ends often divide in an irregularly dichot- 

 omous manner, and sometimes coalesce ; they are A^ery mimerous, 

 nearly equal in size, and usually much curved and crooked, spreading 

 at their origin with a broad curve. The terminal branchlets are short, 

 mostly "5 to 1*5 inches long, often curved, of moderate size, narrowed at 

 base, enlarging to the obtusely rounded end. Verruca? close together, 

 but not imbricated, spreading outward and upward, quite prominent, 

 conical, about as high as broad toward the outer ends of the branch- 

 lets, where they are more developed than below, and furnished with 

 an acute prolonged lower lip, the surface covered with long, stout 

 spuidles, some of which are about as long as the verruca\ Cells small, 

 situated on the upper side of the verruca-, near the end, the aperture 

 filled with the yellow polyp-spicula, from the bases of the tentacles. 

 On the surface of the larger branches the verrucse are low, rounded. 



