188 Mr. S. O. Ridley's Contrihutions to the 



Mag. Nat. Hist. [4] v. p. 406), and a new species, P. mauri- 

 ttensis, described below. It is possible that some of tlie 

 species referred above to the typical group, Villogorgia^ s. str., 

 but whose minute characters are imperfectly known, may 

 prove to belong to this division {q. g. Antipathes JlabeUunij 

 Pallas). 



Echinor/oygia, Kolliker (/. c), appears to be distinguished 

 from Villogoygia by the thickness of the cortex, which hides 

 the axis, and by its commonly bright or pale colour. 



Villogorgia intricala. 



Brandella intricata, Graj , Cat. Litliopliytes Brit. Mus. p. .30. 



This species (the typical and only species of the genus to 

 wliicli Dr. Gray assigned it) was very shortly described, with, 

 however, a fairly characteristic woodcut of some terminal 

 branches. The type specimens, which are merely the peri- 

 pheral portions of what was probably a single colony, are in 

 the British Museum ; and from them I have obtained details 

 as to the characters of the spicules which justify the course I 

 have taken in suppressing its genus and attaching it to Villo- 

 gorgia. 



Spicules of cortex, (i.) fusiform, with rounded ends, covered 

 with numerous inconspicuous rounded tubercles, with two or 

 three rounded projections from the centre at one side, size "28 

 by "044 millim. 5 or they may have two lateral projections, 

 longer and on opposite sides, and measure "25 by "035 millim., 

 thus forming a transition to the well-marked quadriradiate 

 form (ii.), which has four cylindrical radii, the two pairs of 

 radii being usually inclined at an obtuse angle to each other, 

 well tuberculated, with distinct and prominent but small 

 tubercles, size '18 by '035 millim. (iii.) Flattened, disk- 

 like, tapering into two or more terminal points, the margin 

 more or less scalloped into teeth, and the surface slightly 

 embossed with low tubercles ; a few small fenestras pene- 

 trate the disk ; size "34 by '18 millim. Polype-spicules (iv.) 

 fusiform, similar to (i.), or with a central zone of long tubercles, 

 size -35 by -108 to -37 by -071 millim. (v.) Disk-like 

 forms of similar characters and size to those of the general 

 cortex (perhaps really belonging to it). 



In external characters it is hardly distinguishable from V. 

 maur{tie?isis (q. v. infra). 



Hab. Dewi(?) Reef, Bass's Strait. 



Villogorgia [Paranturicea) jiaheUata. 

 BoareJlaJlabellata, Gray, Ann. & Mag. Nat. Hist. sev. 4, vol. v. p. 406. 

 Having examined the typical specimen of this species, I 



