GENEBA OF THE ALCTONAEIA STOLONIEEEA. 341 



Clatulaeia plava, Hickson (i i). (Plate L. fig. 12.) 



The stolon is thin and ribbon-like, not coalescing into membranous plates. Tliere 

 are comparatively few polypes situated on the stolon at intervals of 4 to 6 mm. At 

 the edges of the stolon there are frequently to be seen considerable areas devoid of 

 polypes. 



The polypes have in all cases their crowns retracted, and the tracts of insertion of the 

 mesenteries are not indicated externally by longitudinal grooves or lines. This feature, 

 connected probably with the denseness of the mesogloea and the great number of 

 spicules, is quite sufficient in itself to distinguish this species from C. australiensis. 



The length of the polypes, as they are seen in spirit with their tentacles retracted, 

 is 4-6 mm., the diameter 1-5 mm. 



The spicules are of a bright yellow colour, and form a dense armature for the 

 polypes and stolon. On slicing oif a piece of the body-wall and examining it with the 

 microscope the spicules appear to be locked together to form a compact skeleton. 



The spicules are 0"1 to 015 mm. in length, and are of three kinds : — («) short and 

 broad double cones with numerous blunt tubercles, found in great number in the 

 mesogloea of the body-walls of the polypes and the stolon ; (5) elongated style-like 

 spicules, with very few short and pointed tubercles, found principally in the tentacles ; 

 (c) a few spicules of irregular shape that I have never seen in situ (Plate L. fig. 13). 



The colour of the specimens in spirit is orange. They are situated on fragments of 

 an old lamellibranch (oyster?) shell. 



Locality. Coast of Victoria, shallow water. 



Clatdlabia gaecijE, sp. nov. (Plate XL VI,) 



The stolon is in the form of a thin membranous plate about 1 mm. in thickness. 



The polypes are evenly distributed over the stolon, and separated from one another 

 by short intervals. When looking down upon a spirit-specimen it appears as if the 

 polypes were densely crowded, on account of the long tentacles and pinnae, but on, 

 carefully separating the polypes with needles it is clear that there are considerable 

 intervals between their bases. 



The polypes have remarkably thin and transparent walls containing a number of 

 very small scattered (not crowded) spicules ; the mouth is very small and situated at 

 the extremity of a teat-like papilla in the centre of the oral disk. Each polype is 

 from 9-10 mm. in length. 



The tentacles are about 5 mm. in length, very thin-walled, and bear on each side 

 about 30 long hollow pinnae. The great length and number of the pinnse give the 

 species a very fluify or downy appearance quite peculiar to it. 



Neither the polypes nor the tentacles show any signs in the spirit-specimens of a 

 power of contraction. 



VOL. XIII. — PART IX. No. 3. — October, 1894. 3 d 



