95 



1899.] ANTIPATHABIAM" COKALS OP MADEIUA. 8l5 



(' Ueber die G-attung Gerardia,' 1865), and Pourtales in 1871 took 

 the same view. 



In the coenosarc of Mediterranean examples of this species 

 Lacaze-Duthiers found a pecuh'ar cirripede which he named Laura 

 rjerardice. This has not been observed in Aladeiran specimens. 



Hah. Madeira; Mediterranean. 



Gen. Stichopathes Brook. 



Axis forming a long, slender, flexible rod wthout branches. 

 Polyps arranged in a longitudinal series on one side of the stem, 

 not distributed on all sides as in Cirripathes ; tentacles six. 



Stichopathes geacilis (Gray). 



Antipathes (Cirripathes) gracilis, Gray, P. Z. S. 1857, p. 291. 



Stichojjathes gracilis, Brook, Antipatharia of the ' Challenger,' 

 p. 90. 



Jet-black ; the stem throughout armed with short conical spines 

 at right aagles to it, arranged irregularly in spirals (fig. III. 1, 

 p. 823). On the lower part of the stem there are about nine 

 series. The base spreads thinly over the object to which it adheres, 

 and is from 10 to 15 millim. in diameter. The lower part of the 

 stem is usually from 3 to 4 millim. in diameter. 



This species is not of very rare occuiTence. The individuals are 

 commonly attached to a well-rounded stone or to masses of cal- 

 careous sand cemented by shells, worm-cases, &c. One small 

 specimen had seated itself on the spineless test of a dead sea-urchin 

 (Arbacia). Two or more may sometimes be seen adhering to the 

 same stone, and, indeed, I had once observed as many as twelve in- 

 dividuals on the same block. But great was my astonishment when 

 a stony mass, 10 in. by 5, was shown to me upon which were 

 seated more than 120 specimens, in two groups, some 20 being 

 separated from the rest, which formed a grove so thickly planted 

 that it was difficult to count them correctly. Unfortunately the 

 majority were broken, leaving steins only a few inches long; the 

 length of the perfect ones was about three feet. 



Two and even three distinct stems may spring from the same 

 basal expansion. It may have been that the bases were at first 

 separate and afterwards coalesced as they extended, but there was 

 no evidence to show that this had been so. The largest specimen 

 that has been met with at Madeira had a length of 9 ft. 3 in. 

 (2820 millim.). This has been placed in the Seminario Museum, 

 Funchal. In contrast with specimens of this size, young ones 

 6 millim. long have been found, and two of these have been mounted 

 in balsam on a slip of. glass. 



Brook says that the stem is sinuous but not spiral. Two speci- 

 mens, however, are in my possession which in their upper part form 

 a few very loose irregular spirals. They are on the same mass of 

 indurated sand, shells, worm-cases, &c. 



Normally the individuals of this species are destitute of brtxnches 



53* 



