160 PEECT SLADEN TRUST EXPEDITION. 



Family PlexauridsB. 



Genus PLEXAUROIDES. 



40. Plexatiroides prcelonga (Pudley), var. cinerea, Ridley. (Plate 8. fig. 1.) 



For description see : — 

 Eidley : Zoological Collections of H.M.S. 'Alert' in the Indo-Pacific Ocean, 1884, pp. 339-341, 

 pi. 36. fig. F, pi. 37. figs, g, g', h. 



Three specimens, 15, 18, and 32 cm. in length, apparently belong to this variety of 

 P. prceJonya. The colour of two sjiecimens is dirty grey, as in Ridley's variety cinerea, 

 but the third is a beautiful orange (PL 8. fig. 1). 



Locality. Saya de IVIalha (C 15), 26 fms. 



Previously recorded from Queensland, 5-10 fms. ( Uidley, 1884i) ; P. prcelonga from 

 Cape York, 8 fms. ( JFright and Stude7% 1889) ; and Gulf of Manaar [Thomson and 

 Henderson, 1905). 



Genus EUPLEXAURA. 



41. Euplexaura antipathes (Klunzinger). 



For description of Plexaura antipathes see : — 

 Klunzinger: Korallthiere des Rothen Meeres, 1877, pp. 51-52, pi. 4. fig. 1. 

 Whitelegge : Alcyonaria of Funafuti, pt. ii. 1897, pp. 317-318. 

 Hiles : Proc. Zool. Soc. 1899, pp. 51-52, pi. 4. figs. 1 & 2. 



Locality. Seychelles. A piece of a typical colony. Previously recorded from Red Sea 

 [Klunzinger) and Funafuti ( Whitelegge). 



42. Euplexaura flexuosa, nom.. n. 



Plexaura antipathes, Linne, xax. flexuosa, Thomson and Henderson. 



For description of Flexaura antipathes, var. flexuosa, Thomson and Henderson, see :^ 

 Thomson and Henderson: Ceylon Pearl Oyster Report, No. xx. 1905, p. 305. 



A specimen agreeing closely in external appearance and in spiculation with the variety 

 flexuosa of P. antipathes described by Thomson and Henderson. 



Its manner of branching is, however, somewhat difi'erent. There is a main stem, 

 9 cm. high, from one side of which there arise two long side branches bearing a few 

 short twigs, and from the other side five short twigs about 1 cm. in length. The twigs 

 come off" at about right angles to the stem. The spicules are for the most part short, 

 stout spindles, with large, close-set, tuberculate warts. A few slender curved spindles 

 also occur. The latter were not met with in the specimen described by Thomson and 

 Henderson. 



The Plexaura antipathes of Klunzinger is more properly referred to Verrill's genus 

 Euplexaura. Since Euplexaura antipathes is a very large bushy species with an enor- 

 mous basal expansion, it seems better to separate the var. flexuosa, Thomson and 

 Henderson, as a new species, Euplexaura flexuosa. 



Locality. Seychelles (F 4), 39 fms. 



Previously recorded from Gulf of Manaar [Thomson and Henderson, 1905). 



