188 VERBILL, SYNOPSIS OF 



MURICEA ? DIVARICATA Verrill, nov. sp. 

 Plate 5, figures 6, 6a. 



Corallum low, much branched somewhat in a plane, 

 branchlets slender, elongated, divaricate; covered by the 

 very prominent irregularly crowded, sometimes secund, 

 polyp cells ; these are mostly .2 of an inch high and spread 

 abruptly at right angles to the branches, and are some- 

 what claviform, the summits being enlarged. The cce- 

 nenchyma is very thin and filled with large, thickened 

 spicula, conspicuous at the surface, producing a granulated 

 appearance ; the polyp cells are thickly covered by more 

 elongated, fusiform spicula, which are irregularly arranged, 

 interlaced and conspicuous at the "surface, converging at 

 the summit of the cells, which are eight-rayed in contrac- 

 tion. Color, in alcohol, light ash gray, axis light fuscous, 

 soft and flexible. Height three inches. 



Hong Kong. Dr. Wm. Stimpson. 



ACANTHOGORGIA cocciNEA Verrill, these Proceedings, p. 

 152. 



Nephthya coczinea Stimpson, Proc. Phil. Acad. Nat. Sci. June, 1855, 

 Vol. 7, p.' 375. 



Plate 6, figures 7, la. 



All the specimens observed of this species consist of 

 simple clavate stalks, rising from broadly expanded bases, 

 which, like the stalk, are densely covered with large, open 

 polyp cells, irregularly crowded over the whole surface ; 

 ,the cells are surrounded by numerous, deep red, prominent, 

 imbricated, spines, their outward ends long and sharp, but 

 irregularly branched at their bases, forming thus a cluster 

 of short, secondary spines; axis light brown, slender and 

 flexible. Height of the largest specimens 2 inches, diame- 

 ter .2. Below each tentacle, imbedded in the external 

 membrane, are two rows of linear, crimson spicula, con- 

 verging towards each other so as to form a series of V-- 

 shaped markings with the apex towards the ends of the 

 tentacles. 



Hong Kong, China, in 10 fathoms, attached to dead 

 shells. "The specimens when contracted look like the fruit 



