434 Verrill, JSTotes on Radiata. 



of this genus appears to be remarkably constant, althoug]i quite A'ari- 

 able in some genera of Gorgonid®. 



Muricea formosa Vemii, sp bov. 



Plate VIII, figure 15. 



Corallum white, dichotomous, the branches moderately stout, diver- 

 gent, with elongated squarrose verrucae. 



The single specimen in the collection forks at about half an inch 

 from the base ; one branch divides again within half an inch ; the other 

 forks at two inches, each division again subdividing irregulaily. The 

 branchlets diverge at fii'St with a wide angle, often even 90°. and then 

 curve upward ; they are short, somewhat conical, obtuse at tlie end. 

 The verruca; are elongated, somewhat conical, with the acute lower 

 lip projecting beyond the upper, and spiny with the projecting ends of 

 elongated, sharp spicules. Oils placed on the upper side and near 

 the end of the verruca^ surmounted by a cluster of white polyp-spin- 

 dles when the polyps are contracted. Ccenenchynui rather thin, the 

 surface covered with rather short and stout, nearly regular spindles. 

 Axis wood-brown at base, brownish black in the branches.- Color 

 pure white throughout. 



In life, " the color, both of branches and ])olyps, is pure white ; po- 

 lyps very inconspicuous, sessile, with eight short, pinnate tentacles," 

 — F. H. B. 



Height 4 inches; breadth 3 ; length of branchlets "o to 1*5 ; diame- 

 ter, including verrucae, "30 to "35 ; length of verrucae '08 to '12; diam- 

 eter -04 to -06. 



The spicula are clear white, of moderate size, comparatively smooth ; 

 the larger are mostly rather elongated spindles from the verrucas, with 

 one end usually quite sharp ; and short, stout, blunt spindles and irreg- 

 ular spicula from the coenenchyma. The longer spindles from the ver- 

 rucae sometimes taper r(^gularly to both ends, which are acute; others 

 have one end short, the other tapering abruptly, truncate, or even 

 forked ; the outer surface is covered with very small, crowded warts, 

 the inner surface with very small, low spinules, which gives them a 

 rather smooth appearance when moderately enlarged. The stout 

 spicula, mostly from the coenenchyma, are in large part short, stout 

 spindles, often regularly elliptical in outline, with the ends regularly 

 tapering and blunt ; some are irregular spindles, one end often much 

 the largest and blunt or rounded, the other somewhat acute ; others 

 are of various shapes, sometimes sub-triangular, often bent. ^Vll are 

 covered with very small warts and spinules, like the longer ones. The 



