Alcyonoid Corals in the British Museum. 407 



BOVELLA. 



Coral branched, fan-shaped, expanded into an oblong frond ; 

 stem simple ; branches and branchlets slender, of the same 

 diameter throughout, branches radiating and irregularly fur- 

 cately divided, with abundance of short branchlets arranged 

 rather pinnately and diverging at nearly right angles, forming 

 a more or less regular network ; many of the branchlets, espe- 

 cially the marginal ones, free. Bark furfuraceous, formed of 

 very small soft spicules or thin scales. Polype-cells circular, 

 prominent, with a sunken centre and a furfuraceous surface, 

 jjlaced on all sides of the branchlets and on the internal sur- 

 face of the branches. Axis continuous, horny, black. 



B. ramulosa, n. sp. B.M. 



Menella. 



Coral cylindrical, end (of the branches ?) clavate, rounded, 

 surface spiculose. Polype-cells on all sides of the cylindrical 

 stem (and branches), close together, forming a rough spiculose 

 surface with hexagonal areolae. Polypes retractile ; when 

 retracted, convex, with an oblong concavity, surrounded with 

 spicules. Axis horny, black. 



The only specimen I have seen is simple, cylindrical, and 

 clavate ; it is known from all the others by the spiculose sur- 

 face. 



Menella indica. 



Coral simple, elongate, cylindrical; end subclavate, white. 

 Axis black. 



Hab. Bombay, Back Bay (Captain Thompson). From Mus. 

 Liverpool. B.M. 



Ehipidella. 



Coral flabellate, netted. Polypes regular, scattered, in small 

 prominent warts. Axis cork-like, with scattered nodules. 



Rhijndella verticillata^ Solander, Zoophytes, tab. 17. 



Gorgmiia verticiUata, Esper, t. 35. 



Rhipidogorgia verticiUata, M.-Edw. & Haime, Corall. i. 176. 

 Suherigorgia verticiUata, KoUiker, Icon. Hist. 142, t. 17. f. 0, t. 19. f. 12, 

 15, 27. 



Hah. ? 



Lignella. 



Coral branched ; stem cylindrical, tapering ; branches fan- 

 like, in one plane, angularly diverging. Bark thin, pliable. 

 Polype-cells elongate, prominent, scattered on the stem, and 



28* 



