ALCYONARIA GORGONACEA 



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includes Gorgonia (Rhipidogorgia) flabellum, the well-known fan 

 Gorgonia with intimately anastomosing branches, from the warm 

 waters of the Atlantic Ocean. The genera Eugorgia, Verrill, and 

 Leptogorgia, Milne Edwards, differ from Gorgonia in the char- 

 acter of the spicules. In Xiphigorgia, Milne Edwards, from the 

 West Indies, the branches are much compressed, forming at 

 the edges wing-like ridges, which bear the zoopores in rows. 

 Malacogorgia, Hickson, has no spicules. Cape of Good Hope. 



Fam. 7. Gorgonellidae. In this family the horny axis is 

 impregnated with lime. The surface of the coenenchym is 

 usually smooth, and the spicules small. The colonies are some- 

 times unbranched {Jun- 

 cella). In the branching 

 forms the axis of the 

 terminal branches is 

 often very fine and 

 thread-like in dimen- 

 sions. 



The principal genera 

 are : Gorgonella, with 

 a ramified flabelliform 

 axis ; Ctenocella, with 

 a peculiar double-comb 

 manner of branching ; 

 and Juncella, which 

 forms very long un- 

 branched or slightly 

 branched colonies, with 

 club - shaped spicules. 

 All these genera are found in shallow water in the tropical or 

 semi-tropical regions of the world. Verrucella is a genus with 

 delicate anastomosing branches found principally in the shallow 

 tropical waters of the Atlantic shores. Like many of the Gorgo- 

 nacea, with branches disposed in one plane (flabelliform) Verrucella 

 frequently carries a considerable number of epizoic Brittle stars, 

 which wind their flexible arms round the branches, and thus 

 obtain a firm attachment to their host. There is no reason to 

 suppose that these Brittle stars are in any sense parasitic, as a 

 specimen that bears many such forms shows no sign of injury or 

 degeneration, and it is possible they may even be of service to 



Fig. 157. Verrucella guadaloupensis, with an epizoic 

 Brittle star (Oph.) of similar colour. 



