210 PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL IMUSEUM vol. 105 



In color the colony is a rich pink (approximately "vinaceous pink'^ 

 of Ridgway), coenenchyme and axis being colored alike. 



Holotype: USNM 50110. Southwest of Guadalupe Island, lat. 

 27°23' N., long. 119°19' W., 1,000-2,000 meters, Scripps Institution 

 Pelagic Area Studies Cruise, Apr. 24, 1954. 



Remarks: Corallium imperiah seems to be closely allied to C. 

 hoshuense Kishinouye and C. sulcatum Kishinouye, from Japan, but 

 differs from both in the absence of massive, irregular sclerites and the 

 predominance of double clubs rather than 8-radiates. Corallium 

 imperiale differs further from C. sulcatum in its less profuse branching 

 and more prominent autozooids (pi. 2,c), and from C. hoshuense in 

 its lack of compression of the branches and its rich pink color. 



Corallium diicale, new species 



Plate 1 



Description : Colony spread in one plane, openly branched laterally 

 and dichotomously. Branches round or slightly compressed at right 

 angles to the plane of branching, the largest nearly 10 mm. in diameter. 

 The terminal twigs are 1 .5-2.0 mm. in diameter. Axis faintly striated ; 

 in the terminal portions it shows low surface irregularities and is 

 distinctly granulated. The autozooids are restricted to one face of 

 the colony, theh calyces short cylindrical or blunt conical, distinctly 

 8-ribbed (pi. 1,^); the tentacles are fully retractile and none remain 

 exsert in preservation. The calyces are 1.5 mm. or less in height, 

 and up to 2.0 mm. in diameter at the base, more or less tapering 

 apically. The siphonozooids form small, hemispherical or irregular 

 calyces near the autozooids. The coenenchyme of the back face of 

 the colony is wrinkled by an anastomosing reticulum of narrow ridges 

 marking the presence of the solenial system, and there are smuous 

 grooves on the coenenchyme between the autozooids. 



The spiculation consists of abundant double clubs (pi. \,a) derived 

 from radiate forms by asymmetrical development of two radii, meas- 

 uring 0.060-0.085 mm. in length; 6-, 7-, and 8-radiates (pi. l,h-d) up 

 to 0.1 mm. in length, some of which may show a considerable sub- 

 division of the radii or are otherwise misshapen (pi. \,e-g); crosses 

 (pi. 1,^); massive, irregular bodies (pi. \,i-k)', slender, spinous rods 

 (pi. 1,0 in the pharyngeal region and oral disk; and abundant stouter 

 rods (pi. \,m) in the tentacles. 



In color the colony is a dark pink, tending more toward red than 

 does the color of C. imperiale; in alcohol, the axis is of a richer and 

 deeper color than the rind. 



Holotype: USNM 50111. Southwest of Guadalupe Island, lat. 

 27°23' N., long. 119°19' W., 1,000-2,000 meters, Scripps Institution 

 Pelagic Area Studies Cruise, Apr. 24, 1954. 



