1866.] 



DR. J. E. GRAY ON TWO NEW CORAI.s. 



HoMOPHYTON. 



■27 



Coral arborescent, rather flabellate, furcately branched ; branches 

 subcylindrical, elongate ; axis wood-like, soft, formed of numerous 

 spicula, intermixed with a cellular substance ; bark thin, with a 

 smooth external surface ; the cells of the polypes forming five lon- 

 gitudinal series of compressed tubercles, those of the neighbouring 

 series alternating on the ends of the younger branches, becoming 

 further apart, more irregularly distributed, and scarcely elevated in 

 the older part of the branches. 



This genus differs from Paragorgia of Milne Edwards (Coralliers, 

 i. p. 191) in the axis being of a uniform cork-like texture, without 

 any tubes or spongy cavities. 



Fig. 2. 



llomofjhi/ton gattyioe. 

 IIOMOPHYTON GATTYI^. 



The coral erect, subflabellate, irregularly furcately branched ; the 

 brandies long, subcylindrical, with sinuous grooves on the surface 

 running between the polype-cells, which are scarcely raised above 

 the general surface of the bark ; the terminal branches rather slender, 

 elongate, pentangular, with deep grooves between the oblong, rather 

 compressed polype-cells ; the bark dark red, when dry ; the axis 

 yellow. 



Hab. The sea, near the Cape of Good Hope (Dr. Rubidge). 



I have named this species after Mrs. Alfred Gatty, so well known 

 for her fondness for natural history, and her interesting ' Parable of 

 Nature,' and other works. 



