ORDER III. PSEUDAXONIA, G. von Koch. 



Family BRIAREIIU:. 



Subfamily Briareiuae. 



Paragorgia splendens, n. sp. 

 Family SCLEROGORGIDJS : 



tiuberogorgia kollikeri, Wright and Studer, var. ceylon- 



ensis, Thomson. 

 Keroeides koreni, Wright and Studer. 



,, fjracilis, Whitelegge. 

 Family MELITODIDJ: : 



Parisis indica, n. sp. 

 Family CORALLIDM : 



Pleiirocoralliiim variabile, n. sp. 



Family BRIAREID^E. 



Subfamily Briareinse. 



Paragorgia splendens, u. sp. Plate I. fig. 5 ; Plate V. figs. 9 and 14. 



A beautiful coral-red colony 12 '5 cms. in height and 6'5 cms. in maximum 

 breadth represents this species. The branching is confined to one plane, and 

 the polyps are directed mainly towards one aspect. The diameter of the 

 main stem near the base is 8 mm. The pseudaxial portion consists of long 

 warty spindles tightly bound together, and is penetrated by numerous solenia. 

 In the centre of the mass there are five main canals, four larger surrounding a 

 smaller. The ccenenchyma is moderately thick, and has a glistening arenaceous 

 appearance. In the older part of the stem it is smooth, but on the younger 

 portions and on the branches it is marked by irregular ridges and furrows which 

 extend into the verrucee. The polyps may occur singly or in groups, the tips of 

 the branches being swollen into large club-shaped heads containing sometimes 

 nine or ten polyps. They show the characteristic furrowing of the cosneuchyma, 

 and when inturned present an eight-rayed structure. The tentacles are of a deeper 

 red colour than the general creneuchyma. The colony is dimorphic, numerous 

 siphonozooids occurring over the whole cortex. This phenomenon is apparently 

 absent in some of the other fragments. No trace of tentacles could be found in 

 the siphonozooids, but the characteristic Alcyonariau internal structure is plainly 

 visible, the muscle-banners being most developed on the directive mesenteries. 



The spicules of the axis () are typically spindle-shaped, irregularly covered 



