Hydroida from Deep Water. 131 



As a new genus must be constituted for the Norwegian 

 Hycboid, I propose for it the name Ophionema *. It may be 

 defined as follows : — 



Suborder THECAPHORA. 

 Family Plumulariidae. 



Ophionema, n. gen. 



Generic character. — Shoots small, simple or slightly branched, 

 jointed, not regularly pinnate or plumose, attached by a 

 creeping stolon ; hydrothecaj sessile, unilateral, cup-shaped ; 

 tentaculoid organs distributed singly on tlie shoots, exten- 

 sile, filiform, terminating above in a globular capitulum 

 filled with thread-cells, and protected at the base by a 

 chitinous cup ; gonothecse of large size, borne singly near 

 the base of the shoots ; polypites not retractile within the 

 calycles f. 



Ophionema parasiticumy G. O. Sars (sp, unic). 



Halecium gorgonoide, G. O. Sars (n. sp.). 



This is another of the specially interesting forms brought to 

 light by the exploration of the deeper regions of the sea- 

 bottom. In most of its characters it bears a perfect re- 

 emblance to the well-known Halechnn ; but it differs from 



n being funiished with a peculiar tentaculoid organ, some- 

 what similar to that which occurs on Ophiodes and on the 

 new genus Ophionema^ which I have constituted in this 

 paper. These curious appendages are minute offshoots from 

 the coenosarc, which pass outwards through a simple orifice in 

 the poly])ary, and project beyond it as naked, extensile, 

 tentaculoid processes of a somewhat clavate figure^ terminating 

 above in a rounded ca])itulum filled with thread-cells. They 

 differ from the similar structure which occurs on Ophiodes in 

 the total absence of the chitinous covering at the base, and in 

 the less distinctly capitate form of the free extremity. These 

 aj^pcndages are distributed in great numbers over the stem and 

 branches ; and one of them is almost always present in the 

 immediate neighbourhood of the calycles. 



Theie can be no doubt, I think, that they constitute a cha- 

 racter of generic value, and that the present species must be 

 detached from Halecium. I propose to name the new genus 



* From o0«j, a snake, and vn^a, a tentacle. 



t 1 have included in this diagnosis some faviily charactera. 



