34 STYLASTEH. 



most aberrant gomis of the famil}'. The <^emis Endohelia is tlie only 

 one of wliich I have not seen a representative. From the desei-iption 

 it seems to l)e scarcely different from Cryptohelia, except in the extent 

 of the lip-like appendage. 



To recapitnlate, the characters of the family can be expressed as 

 follows : — 



Corallum generally branching, frequently colored, midtiplying by 

 gemmation. Calicles small and deep, septa all equal, imited by their 

 inner edges, and sometimes containing, in the closed interseptal 

 chamber, rudimentary sej^ta of a higher order; in some genera the 

 septa are merged in the camenchyma and the interseptal chambers 

 are at some distance from the calicle. Columella styliform or globular, 

 spongy, and hirsute. Csenenchyma abundant, finely porous, and per- 

 meated by fine canals. 



i c;)licU-s i-i'fiular . . . Sti/loKler. 



{ gemmation alternate i i- i , . • . /■,;;• 



I with distinct septa -j •' 



i ( gemination irregular [Uopi>ra. 



St)lasteri(i*^ " f calieles oonHiient on 



I se,.t,a olilitorate.l. interseptal .■liambers j ^.j^,,. of corallum . . Dl.Hchnpor,,. 



L distant from fossa. ^ ,.^,_,.,^^ ,^,,i^^,,. Lr/,i,h,.ora. 



|_c,ilieles witliout lip . F.rrina. 



STYLi\STER Gkay. 



Stylaster erubescens Pourt. 



Sli/lnsler rnih, .-<,•, i,s Poiirt. Bull. Miis. Coinp. Zuiil., Xo. 7. 



Plate IV., (ig.s. 10 and 11. 



Branching densely, ilaliellate. not coalescing, rising from a Ijroad 

 encrusting expansion ; younger braiu-hlets slender, with rtither close- 

 set alternate calicles; older hraticlies much thickened, with calicles 

 in irregular rows on one siu'face, interspersed with ampidhe. 

 Cjeneneliyma smooth. Calicles slightly prominent, 1.2 to \.-> nun. 

 in diameter, di'ep. Septa nine to twelve, most frequently eleven, 

 etjual, shaped like folds of the w;dl. joined witli each other at a 

 little distance below the edge of the calicle, thus forming pit-like 

 interseptid chamljcrs. Tertiary (?) rudimentary .septa in the shape 

 of a hiiiry fringe, enclosed in these interseptal ehaml)ers. Columella 

 deeply sunk, rounded, and hirsute. Color white, with a delicate pink 

 1)1 ush when fresh. 



Dimensions: height and breadth of llabellum 10 cm., diameter of 

 largest stems 1.5 cm. Eather common l)etween 120 and ;]2i fathoms 

 off the Florida Reefj on rocky bottom. 



