412 Verrill, JVotes on Radiata. 



one or two inches divides into two equal branches. These subdivide 

 either immediately or at vai'ious distances up to 1 '5 inches in a similar 

 dichotomous manner. The tertiary branches are again unequally 

 dichotomous. The branchlets are mostly secund, slender, spreading 

 outward from the branches in a wide curve, varying in length from 1 

 to 4 inches, tapering toward the tips, which are very slender. The 

 cells are small, oblong, flat or very little raised, arranged closely in 

 one or two rows on each side of the branchlets, but in broad bands 

 of four or more, irregular, crowded rows on the larger branchlets. 

 Median groove very distinct. Axis slender, blackish in the trunk and 

 larger branches, brown and translucent in the smaller branches, yellow- 

 ish and setiform in the branchlets. Color bright purplish red, bright 

 lemon-yellow, or light yellowish brown. Height 7 inches ; breadth 

 5; diameter of ti'unk 'I'd; of branches '10; of branchlets "03 to '05. 



Spicu.la light purple, or bright yellow. Longer double-spindles 

 rather slender, very aci;te, sometimes curved, often with the ends une- 

 qual, median space wide, warts numerous, in 4 to 6 whorls, those toward 

 the ends very small, the median ones much larger, occasionally several 

 sharp points terminate one of the ends. Stouter double-spindles much 

 smaller, stout and thick, wdth about 3 whorls of very prominent, 

 rough warts ; the last whorl is sometimes terminal, in other cases the 

 end is formed by a single rough wart ; some have the warts so crowd- 

 ed that they resemble double-heads. Double-wheels variable in size, 

 about as long as broad, mostly with a narrow median space, small 

 axis, and thin wheels ; terminal wheels small, close to the inner ones. 

 Cross-shaped compound spicula occasionally occur, having slender 

 branches, covered by small but prominent warts. 



The longer double-spindles measure -175""" by -042™'", -138 by -042, 

 •132 by -048, -120 by -036; the stouter double spindles -096 by -054, 

 •090 by -048, -072 by -054, -072 by -048; the double-wheels -036 by 

 •036, with median space "009, diameter of terminal wheels "018; and 

 •048 by -042, with the median space -012, terminal wheels "024 ; others 

 •048 by -042, -043 by -043 ; crosses '084 by -084, and -060 by -060. 



Panama and Pearl Islands, rare, — F. H. Bradley ; Gulf of Nicoya, — 

 J. A. McNiel 



This species resembles in form, mode of subdividing, and slender- 

 ness of trunk and branches, Leptogorgia alha^ but is very distinct in 

 the character of the spicula. Its color, though variable, is probably 

 also sufficient to separate them, since this has not been observed white, 

 which is the constant color of L. alba, so far as can be judged from 

 an examination of over 200 specimens. 



