Verrill, Note.^ on Badiata. 431 



.1 siiio-Ie plane, — a fcutnrc that is more cliaractoristic of tlie smaller 

 speciinens. The branches and branchlets usually arise from -5 to 1-5 

 inches ai)arl, spreading in a wide curve at first, or even nearly at riolit 

 angles, and then becominu' sub-parallel. The branches occasionally 

 coalesce sparinuly. The terminal branchlets are '5 to 2 inches long, 

 as lariic as or larger than the smaller l)ranches, and mostly increase in 

 size from their origin to the end, which is well rounded. The verruca' 

 are promment, sub conical, with an acute lower lip, near together, but 

 y{t scarcely crowded, and not imbricated, usually forming an angle of 

 about 45° with the surface, closely covered by rough, stout, rather 

 short spindles, tapering to the ends, which scarcely project above the 

 surface, except slightly at the suriunit of the verrucre. Cells opening on 

 tlie upper side of the verruca^ filled when fresh with a cluster of light 

 yellow polyp-spindles. Coenenchyma moderately thick, firm, with a 

 hard rough surface, covered with stout, mostly obtuse, rough spicula, 

 some of wliich are much larger than those of the verrucas. Axis 

 wood-biown and not calcareous at base ; black in the branches and 

 usually a little compressed, especially at the axils ; yellowish brown, 

 coarse, and rigid in the branchlets. Color uniform reddish or yellow- 

 ish brown. 



Height of largest specimen, from Panama, 9 inches; breadth 15 by 

 13; diameter of main branches -40; of secondary -30 ; of branchlets 

 at base "20 to '25 ; at summit, including verruca?, '25 to "35 ; length of 

 verruca,' '05 to '10; diameter about 'OS. Another snb-flabelliform 

 specimen from Pearl Islands is 9 inches high and 10 broad, with the 

 branches and verrucre as in the other. One from Cape St. Lucas is 8 

 inches high and 6 broad ; the branchlets near the ends mostly 'So, 

 rarely "40, in diameter; the longest verrucre "12 of an inch in length. 



The largest spicula are all rather short and stout, mostly oblong or 

 oval in outline, with obtuse or truncate ends, only a portion of them 

 being short spindles, llie longer spicula are mostly oblong, with obtuse 

 ends, or stoat fusiform, tapering somewhat to one or both ends, which 

 are blunt ; one side covered with large, conical spinules, the others with 

 rather large, close set, rough waits. The stouter spicula differ but 

 little from the longer ones, except in being shorter and thicker, gene- 

 rally oblong or o\al, and truncate at the ends. They are often irreg- 

 ular, or lobed at one or both ends. The small spindles are rather 

 stout, tapering but little, blunt at the ends, and covered with large, 

 prominent, rough warts, about their own diameter apart. Small, irreg- 

 ular, very warty or spiny spicula occur, wliich are nearly as long as 

 1)road; also irregular star-shaped spicula, and nearly round warty 



Trans. Coxxecticut Acad. Vol. I. 55 January, 1869. 



