MUSEUM OF COMPARATIVE ZOOLOGY. 25 
Dasygorgia splendens VERRILL, sp. nov. 
Coral slender, spirally branched, much as in D. spiculosa and D. Agassizii, 
but it apparently has a lower and more bushy growth. Main stem rather 
stout, bent in zigzag ; distance between branches usually 5to 8 mm. Axis 
polished, with a very brilliant metallic iridescence, in which deep emerald- 
green and blue tints predominate ; in the branches the axis is amber-colored, 
with less iridescence. Ccenenchyma thin, with small fusiform spicula. The 
calicles are distant, rather stouter than in most species of the genus, but per- 
haps a little shorter than in D. spiculosa; they mostly stand a little obliquely 
ascending on the branches, and are much broader than the smaller ones; they 
are nearly cylindrical, or only a little constricted above the base, which is a 
little expanded; summit prominently eight-lobed. The calicles are thickly cov- 
ered with rather large, oblong, blunt, thickened, smoothish, iridescent spicula, 
which rise up distinctly above the surface and are not closely imbricated; they 
lie nearly longitudinally on the sides, but obliquely at the base, where the 
largest ones are situated. The spicula of the cenenchyma are smaller, flat- 
tened, oblong and fusiform, often with indented edges, but with a smooth, 
lustrous, iridescent surface. 
Off Santa Cruz, Stations 124 and 131, in 580 fathoms, Blake Expedition, 
1878-79. 
Chrysogorgia Desbonni Dvucn. & Micu. 
Ducnassaine & Micuerorti, Supplément Mém. Corall. des Antilles, pp. 13, 21, 
pl. 1, figs. 7, 8, pl. 4, fig. 5. 
Plate ITI. Figs. 6, 6a, 6 b. 
Coral flabellate, sometimes with the branches all in one plane, in other 
ceases dividing near the base into two or more principal branches, which stand 
parallel and take a fan-shaped form. The main branches divide repeatedly 
into smaller branches by successively forking. The branchlets are divergent, 
and the forks are from 3 to 6 mm. apart. The terminal branchlets are small, 
short, and somewhat rigid. The axis is rather hard, rigid, somewhat calcare- 
ous, in the main stem and larger branches dark brown or brownish black, in 
the smaller branchlets yellowish brown, translucent. Ccnenchyma thin, white 
in alcholic specimens, and composed of irregular, oblong and fusiform, roughly 
warted spicula (Figs. 6a, 6b). Calicles scattered, often secund, prominent, 
- more or less enlarged at the summit; they stand at right angles to the branches, 
or even turn somewhat downward. The calicles (Fig. 6) are covered with 
rather largey elongated, roughly warted, curved spicula, arranged transversely, 
the curvature of the spicula corresponding to the surface of the calicles; sum- | 
mit of the calicles strongly eight-lobed, the lobes corresponding to the bases of 
the tentacles, and filled with smaller spicula. 
Height of ordinary specimens, 65 to 80 mm.; breadth, 60 to 70 mm. 
