A, E. Verrili—The Bermuda Islands; Coral Reefs. 311 
soft and brittle. It is grayish or dull wood-color. The branches 
curve strongly outward at base, and then become rigidly erect. The 
trunk is often an inch or more (20 to 30™™) in diameter; the branch- 
lets, when full grown, are about 6 to 10 inches (150 to 250™™) long, 
and 10 to 14™™ in diameter; larger calicles 1 to 1/5™™ in diameter. 
Dwarfed specimens are sometimes found with much smaller and 
shorter branchlets and smaller calicles. 
It occurs both on the outer reefs and on those in Castle Harbor, 
Great Sound, ete. It is also found on the Florida reefs and in the 
West Indies generally, south to Dominica. 
Figure 156.—Plexaurella dichotoma ; a, b, portions of the surface of two speci- 
mens to show variations in form of calicles due to contraction, x about 2. 
Figure 157.—Plexaurella dichotoma, cross-section of branch, x about 3}; a, 
axis, with circle of longitudinal ducts around it. 
Euniceopsis, gen. nov. Type £. Tourneforti. 
I propose to separate, as a genus, those species usually referred to 
Eumicea, in which the column and tentacles contain double rows 
of spicula, which are absent in typical species of Hwnicea* (restr.). 
The presence of these spicules renders the tentacles somewhat rigid 
and slow to contract, and in incomplete contraction they serve as a 
sort of opercular covering for the calicles. 
*T propose to consider HZ. mammosa Lx. and £. limiformis Lx. the typical 
forms of Hunicea. The former was the only species figured by Lamouroux 
when he established the genus (1816). His first species (G. antipathes of early 
authors) is indeterminable, being a heterogeneous assemblage of several genera 
and species. His second species (EZ. microthela) is not certainly known, but 
probably belongs to Eunicella. Other species of true Hunicea are EF. muricata 
Lam. (t. Edw. and H.), #. madrepora Dana, etc. 
