[CEYLON PEARL OYSTER FISHERIES 1905 SUPPLEMENTARY REPORTS, No. XX.] 



REPORT 



ON THE 



ALCYONARIA 



COLLECTED BY 



PROFESSOR HERDMAN, AT CEYLON, IN 1902. 



BY 



PROFESSOR J. ARTHUR THOMSON, M.A.. UNIVERSITY OF ABERDEEN, 



AND 



W. D. HENDERSON, M.A., 13.Sc., CARNEGIE SCHOLAR,* UNIVERSITY OF ABERDEEN. 



[Wmi SIX PLATES.] 



THE rich collection of Ceylonese Alcyonarianst here reported ou was made in 1902 

 from the Pearl Oyster Banks in the Gulf of Manaar, by dredging within the 

 100-fathom line off' Trincomalee and off Galle, and in adjacent littoral areas. The 

 localities are more precisely referred to in Professor HERDMAN'S " Narrative " in Part I. 

 of the general Report (1903). 



As only a few Alcyonarians from Ceylon have been previously recorded, e.g., by 

 THURSTON| (1890) and RIDLEY (1883), Professor HERDMAN found an almost fresh 

 field, which his faunistic genius recognised as extraordinarily rich. We have not been 

 able to exhaust the material which his skilful collecting has garnered. His collection 



* It is more than a formal duty to make grateful acknowledgment of the assistance of the Carnegie 

 Trust : Mr. HENDERSON did part of his share in this Report as a Carnegie Scholar, and I received from 

 the Trust 30 towards the expenses of preparations and drawings. J. A. T. 



t The " fleshy " Alcyoniidte, e.g., Alcyonium, Lobojiltytum, Sarc.ophytum, Sderophijtuin, are reported on 

 separately by Miss EDITH M. PRATT, D.Sc. (see this volume, p. 247). 



\ THURSTON'S list is as follows: Ediinogorijia pscudosasappo, E. sasappo, E. cerea, E.furfurami, 1'kmura 

 flaJH'llinii, Jinti-i-lln jinimi, Goryonia ( Lrployoryia) miniacea, Gorgonclla umbella, Subcroijvrijia sulcrosa, 

 jaeanirum, I'l. r.yiri, Vinjuhiria junmi and Liluuria sp. 



RIDLEY'S list is as follows : Alcy&mm polydactylvm, A. svbmurale, Sarcophytum 

 Spongedet sp., Rhizox&ua sp., MenaceHn reticubtris, EcMnogorgia paeudoatuofpo, Pkxaura fliMlum, Jum-dl 

 , Svberogorgia wrrirulata, 8. xidierosa, and (?) C'orullimn 



