Alcyonaria G 7 



Mr. John Murdoch, in the Reports of the International Polar Expedition, 

 Point Barrow, p. 162 (1885) records it as found on the beach, and dredged 

 abundantly west of Point Franklin, in 13J fathoms, and also off Port Clarence, 

 in 7 fathoms, and with one "pale specimen" in Norton sound, 5 fathoms, 

 on cod lines, and in Plover bay, 25 fathoms, "bright strawberry red." Brandt 

 recorded it from Seniavin strait, Siberia. Molander, 1915, recorded it from 

 Port Clarence, Bering sea, and the Siberian sea, in 7 to 57 meters, in several 

 localities, and in many other places. It is known from Greenland, Spitzbergen, 

 Kara sea, northern Norway, and numerous other localities. On the east 

 American coast it extends southward to the bay of Fundy. 



VARIATIONS. 



This species is very variable in form and general appearance, largely because 

 of its great powers of contraction, when preserved. In life, when well-grown, 

 it is tall and much branched, with conspicuous bare portions of the stalk and 

 stems of the branches, which carry clusters of the delicate translucent polyps 

 at the tips, very much as in G. carnea (see PI. IV, fig. 1). But as preserved in 

 alcohol, or when dried, the stalk, branches and branchlets are much contracted, 

 and the polyps are retracted, so that it looks like a cluster of crowded roundish 

 knobs or lobes. In this state it often resembles in form and colour a large 

 coarse strawberry. Hence the fishermen call it the "sea strawberry." 



Although its colour, even after long preservation in alcohol, up to sixty 

 years at least, is usually bright red, due to the red colour of the spicules, pale 

 red or even white varieties occasionally occur, sometimes in the same localities 

 as the red ones. In certain cases all the specimens taken in a certain locality 

 may be of the pale kind. Some red specimens, when dried and long exposed 

 to strong light, fade to pale red or yellowish white. 



Generally speaking, the bright red colour of the spicules is diagnostic of 

 this species, as contrasted with the allied northern* species. Several of those 

 are bright red, or light red, when living, but quickly lose their colour in alcohol, 

 because the colour is confined to the soft parts, the spicules being white. 



Some varieties of G. carnea are light red or pink in colour, when living, 

 and their spicules may be pale red, but so far as I have observed, perhaps a 

 thousand examples or more, it never has the bright red spicules seen in this 

 species. The spicules of the cortex, also, are smaller and not nearly so numerous, 

 as well as different in form. 



All the species of this group are liable to vary considerably in the abundance 

 of spicules, and to the same extent, in their sizes and forms, e\*en when adult 

 examples are studied. Young specimens often appear very different in form, 

 have larger calicles, and often larger spicules. All are very contractile when 

 killed or much disturbed, thus entirely changing their forms. They are also 

 variable in colour, when living. Some vary from dark red to light red, pink, or 

 orange; some are brownish or yellow; some rarely violaceous. Most of them, 

 when living and expanded, are very beautiful objects. 



This species, when very young, forms small, slightly convex, roundish, 

 encrusting groups, with a central polyp surrounded by one or two circles of 

 smaller polyps. In that stage it resembles a Sympodium. 



DISTINCTION OF CLOSELY RELATED SPECIES. 



With preserved specimens this is often by no means easy, and thus experts 

 differ. This particular species, usually one of the easiest to identify, is liable 

 to be confused with three or four other similar Canadian species, which grow 

 in the same way, and have similar and variable modes of branching. In general 

 the mode of branching is not to be relied upon as diagnostic, as it is variable. 

 A careful microscopic study of the forms of the spicules, and their arrangement 

 in the polyp bodies and tentacles affords the most reliable characters. 



