CONTRIBUTIONS ON THE OCTOCORALLIA — BAYER 209 



, lacunar walls of the inner layer, longer spindles with simple, conical 

 processes or complex tubercles; of the medulla, irregular rods often 

 with forked ends. 



Distribution: Eastern coast of South America. 



Family Coralliidae Lamouroux, 1812 



Genus Corallium Cuvier, 1798 



The E. W. Scripps, research vessel of the Scripps Institution of 

 Oceanography, on a recent cruise obtained specimens of two species 

 of precious corals from deep water off Guadalupe Island. These 

 specimens, which were kmdly submitted by Robert H. Parker of 

 Scripps Institution, represent the first find of the genus Corallium in 

 North American waters. 



Corallium imperiale, new species 



Plate 2,c-h 



Description: Colony large, spread in one plane, abundantly 

 branched in a subpinnate fashion. Main branches practically circular 

 in cross section, about 5 mm. in diameter; end twigs slender, about 

 1.5 mm. in diameter; axis very wealdy and obscurely striated. Auto- 

 zooids restricted to one face of the colony, their calyces tall, cylindrical, 

 8-ribbed; the tentacles are fully retractile, but in preservation may 

 remain exsert. The calyces are about 2.5 mm. tall, up to 3 mm. if 

 the tentacles are not fully retracted, and 1.5 mm. in diameter. 

 Siphonozooids forming small, irregular verrucae between the auto- 

 zooids. On the naked back face of the colony the siu"face of the 

 coenenchyme shows a predominantljT^ longitudinal and parallel system 

 of narrow ridges, here and there with cross-connections or densely 

 anastomosing, that marks the presence of the coenenchymal solenial 

 network. 



Spiculation consists predominantly of 8-radiates and double clubs 

 in the general coenenchyme and calyces, and irregularly spinous rods 

 in the tentacles. The so-called double clubs or opera-glasses (pi. 

 2,d), actually asymmetrical derivatives of the 8-radiate capstan, are 

 very abundant; they average 0.05-0.06 mm. in length. The 8-radiates 

 of typical form (pi. 2,e) attain a length of 0.08-0.09 mm., and occasional 

 atypical examples (pi. 2,g) may reach 0.1 mm. Crosses (pi. 2,/) are 

 not uncommon. In the distal part of the calyces a few rods (pi. 2,h) 

 0.10-0.11 mm. in length may be found, and this type of spicule is the 

 predominant one in the tentacles. Small 8-radiate capstans also 

 occur in the tentacles, where the spicules are irregularly packed, 

 extending as points into the bases of the pinnules. 



