Verrill, JVotes on Radlata. 419 



Corallum variously branched, usually dicliotoiuous or arborescent. 

 Axis horny, rarely becoming calcareous at the base in large speci- 

 mens. (%enenchyma com])ose(l of large, one-sided, very warty, and 

 often curved spindles, mingled with many smaller ones of various 

 sizes, the exterior being formed mainly of the large ones, which be- 

 come imbrica ed on the sui-face of the ven-uciu and usually project 

 from the snrlace. The cells are prominent in various degrees, and 

 either tubular or bilabiate with the lower side projecting. Polyps 

 retractile, the tentacles stiffened at base with long, warty spindles. 



Dr. Kolliker has very judiciously restricted this genus by the re- 

 moval of Paramuricea and Echinogorgia, two well defined and natu- 

 ral genera. As now limited Miiricea is a well characterized genus, 

 which is widely distributed in the trojiical seas, but apparently more 

 fully represented on the American coasts than elsewhere. In the 

 West Indies and on the Atlantic coasts there are at least five species, 

 while on the Pacific side eighteen have already been discovered. 

 The species from the East Indies. China, etc., which I have seen, are 

 smaller and less typical than the American forms. 



The species of Echinogorgia are mainly from the East Indies. The 

 Paramuricem are found on the European coasts, in the Mediterranean, 

 and one sjiecies, at least, in the West Indies and at Florida (P. clath- 

 rata (Dana sp.). The genus, Thesea Duch. and Mich., is a rare 

 West Indian form. Bebryce Phil, is from the Mediterranean. An- 

 thogorgia and Astrogorgia Verrill, as yet represented only by one spe- 

 cies each, are from Hong Kong, while the genus, Ueterogorgia V., is 

 known only from Panama Bay. Acanthogorgia Gray, seems allied to 

 3furicea, and especially to Ueterogorgia. It has several species : A. 

 coccinea V.,* from Ilong Kong ; A. Atlantica and A. Grayi Johns,, 

 from Madeira ; A. hirsuta Gray, locality doubtful ; and A. aspera 

 Pourtales,f off Havana, in 270 fathoms. Blepharogorgia Schrammi 

 Duch. and Mich., from Guadaloupe, is referred to the same genus by 

 Pourtales, but it appears to agree better witli Paramuricea. The 

 genus, Acis Duch. and Mich,, is also allied to Muricea and has two 

 West Indian species. 



A. — Yerruc(z tubular ; cells noi bilabiate, lower border not j^rolonged. 



Muricea acervata Veniii. 



Proceedings Boston Soc. Nat History, vol. x, p. 327, Apr., 1866. 



Plate VII, figure 5. Plate VIII, figure 1. 

 Corallum arborescently branched, dichotomous, rather stout and 

 rigid. The trunk divides very near the base into two or three main 



* Now Echinomuricea coccinea V., Am. Jour. Sci., xlvii, p 285. — Reprint. 

 f Bulletin Museum of Comparative Zoology, No. 6, p. 113, 1867. 



