156 



Height, 3*5 mm.; diameter of calice, 4 mm. 



This interesting coral was dredged at a depth of 110 

 fathoms by Mr. Henry Suter and Mr. Charles Hedley about 

 15 miles outside Great Barrier Island, New Zealand. It is 

 evidently very abundant, as a large number of specimens have 

 been sent to me. About 20 of them are full-grown and toler- 

 ably perfect; 20 others are also adult, but w^orn; in addi- 

 tion, there are more than 30 of the juvenile discoid forms pre- 

 viously mentioned, a few of which are still attached to minute 

 shell fragments. 



Genus Paeacyathus, Milne-Edwards and Haime. 

 Paracyathus vittatus, spec, nov PI. v., figs. 3a, b. 



The only example of this small coral is attached by its 

 entire base to a fragment of shell. It was dredged some years 

 ago by Dr. Verco, at a depth of 17 fathoms off Point Marsden, 

 Kangaroo Island. 



The corallum is low and almost cylindrical in shape, with 

 a slight constriction just above the broadly adherent base. 

 The main portion of the wall is covered by a stout, rough 

 epitheca, but near the summit this terminates abruptly, and 

 a narrow band of well-marked costse succeeds, surrounding 

 the margin of the corallum. At the actual junction of the 

 epitheca and costal band the latter slightly overlaps, and 

 its lower edge forms a distinct, sharply-defined rim. 



The calice is shallow and elliptical, its major and minor 

 axes being as 100 to 88. The septa are in six systems, with 

 four cycles. The first two orders are exsert and equal, the 

 tertiaries are both smaller and shorter, while the quaternaries 

 are extremely slender, and barely project into the calice. All 

 extend as costae beyond the wall, retaining their relative size, 

 but those of the fourth order, though still slender, are pro- 

 longed, and become a prominent feature of the costal band. 

 All orders of septa are beset with long and stout granules, 

 placed at right angles to their sides; the edges have thus a 

 dentate appearance, though their upper surfaces are in reality 

 plain. The costse are also granular, l)ut less so than the 

 septa. Pali in more than one crown are placed before the 

 primary and secondary septa, and separated from them by a 

 deep and wide notch. They are of irregular shape, lobed, and 

 sparingly granular. 



There is a strong fascicular columella, with occasional no- 

 dules on its surface. 



Height of corallum, 3'5 mm. : depth of costal band, 

 1 mm. ; diameters of calice, 4 mm. and 3'5 mm. 



