Simpson — A Revision of the Gorf/onellidae. '59 



Jwncella fragilis var. rubra Thomson aud Henderson, xxxix, p. 314. 

 „ barbadensis Duch. and Mich., v, p. 22, PI. v, fig. 5. 

 ., „ Wright and Studer, 1, p. 159, PI. xxiv, fig. 14. 



Juncella juncea. 



This is a very old species, as may be seen from the Bibliography. Pallas 

 referred it to the genus Gorgonia; but Valenciennes, in 1841, rightly 

 considered it as a Juncellid, and placed it in the genus Juncella ; and in this 

 genus it has remained, and has been so regarded by most authors ; but, in 

 1859, Gray, for no apparent reason, established the genus Helicella to include 

 it. No one has, however, confirmed his opinion, so that it is unnecessary to 

 discuss its position there. The species is a fairly distinctive one ; but very 

 little positive content has ever been given to it. Ridley, in his Report on the 

 Alcyonaria collected by H.M.S. " Alert," says : — " Neither Milne-Edwards and 

 Haime nor Valenciennes give details full enough to enable the student to 

 identify their species satisfactorily with that of Pallas and Esper. In the 

 ' Alert ' specimens and that figured by Esper the verrucae are closely packed 

 over the cortex. In our specimen, which is about 46 inches (1150 mm.) 

 long by 6 mm. thick at tlie present broken base and 3'5 nnn. thick at the 

 tip, the basal end is almost smooth, the verrucae being either level with the 

 surface or depressed below it ; towards the middle of the length they become 

 projecting until they reach a height of about 1-25 mm. ; they are then 

 adpressed against the surface of the cortex. A distinct median groove is to 

 be traced along most of the stem." 



This was a most important contribution, and was the first description of 

 the variation in the size of the verrucae, which is such a marked feature in 

 this species, and which lias led to several mistakes in identification. 



Kolliker, in 1865, first introduced the question of spicules into this 

 species, and gives two figures of these (Tab. xvili, figs. 45 and 46). One of 

 these represents a thick single-club, and the second a double-club. In the 

 many records and short descriptions which occur scattered throughout 

 Alcyouariau literature very little furtlier was added, so that the following short 

 description sums up the chief points upon which the species was identified. 

 The colony is simple and elongated ; the cortex is thick ; the spicules contain 

 clubs and double-clubs ; the verrucae vary in size in the various parts of the 

 colony (Ridley) ; the axis is hard and calcareous ; there are usually two bare 

 streaks in the coenenchyma. 



Practically no attention was paid to the extraordinary fertility of 

 variation which occurs with regard to all the.se characters, not only in 

 ditterent specimens, but also in different parts of the same specimen; nor 



