CONTRIBUTIONS ON THE OCTOCORALLIA — BAYER 215 



type species of the former appears to be Gorgonia sarmentosa Esper 

 (Nutting, 1910b, p. 7; Verrill, 1912, p. 390; also it is clear that Gray in 

 1859 considered this species to be the type, but he did not clearly 

 designate), which is a gorgoniid and not a gorgonellid in the usual 

 sense. The name Gorgonella therefore is not available for the genus 

 to which it is usually applied, and the next available name must be 

 employed. This is Verrucella Milne Edwards and Haime, 1857 (type 

 species: Gorgonia flexuosa Lamarck, 1816= Gorgonia umbraculum 

 Ellis and Solander, 17 SQ= Verrucella umbraculum, here designated). 



Scirpearia has long been a subject of debate and should almost 

 certainly apply to a pennatulid rather than to a gorgonacean. It 

 probably will never be known exactly what Scirpearia Cuvier is. The 

 fu'st subsequent generic name available for a member of this genus as 

 commonly defined is Ellisella Gray, 1858 (type species: Gorgonia 

 elongata Pallas, 17QQ = ElliselIa elongata; by subsequent designation. 

 Nutting, 1910b, p. 31). The family name established by Gray will 

 replace the nominal family Gorgonellidae Valenciennes. 



Structure of the colonial axis: In 1865 A. von Kolliker de- 

 scribed certain structural featiu"es of gorgonacean axes that seem 

 worthy of closer study. He noted that the axis of gorgonellids (now 

 ellisellids) , with the exception of Junceella, showed a distinct radial 

 pattern in cross section. The thin sections prepared in the course of 

 the present study confirm Kolliker's observations and demonstrate the 

 occurrence of the radial pattern of calcification in Junceella also, thus 

 making it universally characteristic of the family Ellisellidae. More- 

 over, it was observed that the axis structure of this family is similar to 

 that of the Isididae, which is also radial, but distinctly different from 

 that of the Chrysogorgiidae, Primnoidae, and Ifalukellidae, which are 

 never so. Thus, in respect to axial structure, the former two families 

 have more in common with the pennatulids than with other gor- 

 gonacean families. 



When transverse, longitudinal, and tangential thin sections are 

 examined by polarized light it can be seen that although the calcareous 

 units (sclerodermites) of the axis are built up in layers concentric 

 with the axis core, they are arranged in a distinctly radial fashion 

 and grouped in irregular, interlocking rays or sectors whose component 

 calcareous fibers are of different optical orientation. Representatives 

 of all genera were examined and found to have similar structure. The 

 so-called chrysogorgiid genus Riisea, which has spicules like those of 

 the ellisellid genus Micella, was examined and found to have axis 

 structure (pi. 5,a,6) like Nicella and unlike Chrysogorgiidae (pi. 

 4,c,c?). Riisea is thus to be reckoned among the Ellisellidae v/here 

 Kolliker placed it, close to Nicella, and not among the Chrysogorgiidae 



