THE ANTHOZOA 25 



Ammothea, Savigny. The zooid heads soft, containing few and small 

 or no spicules. Eunepthya, Verrill ; Voeringia, Danielssen ; Fulla, 

 Danielssen ; Barathrobius, Danielssen ; Gersemia, Danielssen ; Ger- 

 seruiopsis, Danielssen ; Drifa, Danielssen ; Duva, Kor. and Danielssen. 

 2. SIPHONOGORGINAE. Abundant spicules present in the partition 

 walls of the stem canals, giving stiffness and consistency to the colony. 

 Genera Siphonogorgia, Kolliker ; Paranephthya, Wright and Studer. 

 Scleronephthya, Wright and Studer ; Chironepkthya, Wright and Studer ; 

 Lemnalia, Gray. 



ORDER 3. Pseudaxonia, G. von Koch. 



Characters Synalcyonacea forming upright branched colonies. The 

 zooid cavities short, the zooids imbedded in a coenenchyma containing 

 ramifying solenia and numerous spicules. The coenenchyma differentiated 

 into a cortical and a medullary portion, the latter containing spicules 

 different from those of the cortex, densely crowded together and sometimes 

 cemented together to form a supporting axis. 



FAMILY 1. BRIAREIDAE. The medullary substance consists of closely 

 packed but separate spicules. There are two sub- families. 1 . BRIAREIXAE. 

 The medullary mass is penetrated by solenia. Genera Solenocaulon, 

 Gray ; Leucoella, Gray ; Semperina, Kolliker ; Suberia, Studer ; Anthothela, 

 Verrill ; Paragorgia, M. Edwards ; Briareum, Blainville. 2. SPONGIO- 

 DERMINAE. The medullary mass is devoid of solenia. Genera Spongio- 

 derma, Kolliker ; Titanideum, Agassiz ; Ilicigorgia, Ridley. FAMILY 2. 

 SCLEROGORGIDAE. The medullary mass forms a distinct axis consisting of 

 closely packed elongate spicules with dense horny sheaths. The axis 

 does not contain solenia, but is surrounded by longitudinal canals, i.e. 

 by large solenia which are connected with the zooid cavities by smaller 

 ramifying solenia. Genera Suberogorgia, Gray ; Keroeides, Wright and 

 Studer. FAMILY 3. MELITODIDAE. The medullary mass forms a distinct 

 axis, which exhibits alternate calcareous and horny segments. The former 

 (internodes) consist of fused calcareous spicules surrounded by a trace of 

 horny substance ; the latter (nodes) consist of horny substance containing 

 few, separate, calcareous spicules. Genera (a). The axis penetrated by 

 solenia. MelitodeS, Verrill ; Mopsella, Gray. (/?). The axis not penetrated 

 by solenia. Wrightella, Gray ; Parisis, Verrill. FAMILY 4. CORALLIDAE. 

 The axis is a dense, calcareous mass formed by fusion of spicules. Genera 

 Corallium, Lamarck ; Pleurocorallium, Gray. 



Corallium rubrum, the precious re<J coral of commerce, is found in the 

 Mediterranean sea, chiefly on the coasts of Africa, but also in the neigh- 

 bourhood of Sardinia and Corsica, and at some places on the littoral of 

 Italy and Provence. It has, from time immemorial, been the object of an 

 extensive fishery, on account of the value of its hard, red, calcareous axis, 

 for the manufacture of jewellery and ornaments. The colonies are found 

 attached to rocks at depths varying from 15 to 120 fathoms. The fisher- 

 men use a special form of tangle to procure it. From its beauty and 

 importance as an article of commerce, the red coral has attracted the 

 attention of zoologists from an early period. De Lacaze Duthiers (70) 

 has written an exhaustive and beautifully illustrated memoir on this 



