228 On a new Genus and Species of Hydroid Zoophyte. 



Cladocoryne floccosa, n. sp. 



Stem slender, generally simple or very sparingly branched, 

 often with a bend ; polypary of a light straw-colour, gene- 

 rally smooth, but sometimes very slightly and irregularly 

 annulated. 



Polypites generally separate, and ranged at irregular intervals 

 along the creeping filiform stolon ; long, linear, and very 

 slender, of a reddish-brown colour, merging at the base into 

 the colour of the stem ; the oral extremity of an opaque 

 white ; a silvery-white tubercle or boss of thread-cells be- 

 tween each tentacle in the anterior and in the posterior row. 



Tentacles very long and tapering, capitate, of two kinds — 

 simple and branched ; one row of simple capitate tentacles, 

 four to eight in number, immediately round the moutli, and 

 three or four rows of branched tentacles set in whorls round 

 the body, with three to four tentacles in each wliorl, each 

 of the branched tentacles having from six to fifteen short 

 capitate ramuli set in somewhat irregular whorls round the 

 tentacles, and terminating in three of the capitate ramuli of 

 nearly equal length. 



Qonopliores not known. 



Height from a ^ to | an inch. 



The form and size of the tentacles are the most ]irominent 

 points in G. floccosa : the branclied tentacles are all long, and 

 increase in length up to the middle whorl, and then diminisli 

 in length towards the oral whorl, those in the middle whorl 

 being as long as the body of the polypite ; tlie tentacles are 

 pellucid, and taper gradually from the base ; the ramuli are 

 similar in appearance to the tentacles of Coryne vayinata. 



The stem is rarely and sparingly branched. 



The pearly bosses of thread-cells add considerably to the 

 Ijcauty of this zoophyte. 



The polypites are generally separate, and rise at irregular 

 intervals from the stolon, thus presenting a very different ap- 

 pearance from the long and branched tufts of Coryne and 

 Syncoryne. The ramuli on the teiitacles are peHucid, and 

 give a fleecy aspect to the zoophyte as it is waved to and fro 

 in the tide. 



Hah. On stones at low tide at Ilerm, near Guernsey. 



The Rev. T. Hincks, who has kindly corrected the above 

 description, tells me that this species has "barbed tln'ead-cells, 

 very much resembling those of Hydra^'' and that he has met 

 with a single specimen of C. floccosa among a quantity of 

 Gulf-weed. 



