870 DR. J. STUART THOMSON ON 



PAPERS, 



37. The Alcyonaria of the Cape of Grood Hope and Natal. — 

 GoRGONACEA. By J. Stuart Thomson, Ph.D., F.R.S.E., 

 F.L.S., Lecturer and Senior Demonstrator in Zoology, 

 University of Manchester *. 



[Received May 4, 1911 : Read May 23, 1911.] 



(Plates XLIII.-XLY.t and Text-figure 167.) 



The Alcyonaria here reported on were collected during the years 

 1898 to 1907, off the coasts of Cape Colony and ISTatal. In 

 a previous paper + I dealt with the Alcyonacea, and in the 

 present report I confine myself to the Gorgonacea. This con- 

 tribution is not, however, to be regarded as an exhaustive one, as, 

 unfortunately, the specimens have come into my hands at different 

 times. Professor Hickson has contributed two papers on South 

 African Alcyonaria to the publication, ' Marine Investigations in 

 South Africa,' and I have to thank him for allowing me to 

 examine his type-specimens and microscopic slides of the spicules 

 of various forms. 



I have also to thank Professor J. D. F. Gilchrist, formerly 

 Government Biologist at the Cape of Good Hope, who kindly 

 entrusted these Alcyonarians to me for description. 



In this paper, the following 19 species are described or recorded, 

 of which 6 are new : — 



Family Briareid^. 



S^iheria capensis, sp. n., p. 871. 

 Spongioderma verrucosum Mobius, p. 874, 



Family Melitodidje, 



MeMtodes esperi W. & S., p, 874. 

 Melitodes nodosa "W, & S., p, 876. 

 Melitodes dichotoma Pall., p. 877. 



Family IsiD^. 

 Ceratoisis ramosa Hickson, p. 877, 



Family Muriceid^. 



Muriceides fusca, sp. n., p. 878. 

 Acanthogo7-gia armata Yerrill, p. 880. 



* Communicated by Prof. Aethue Dendt, D.Sc, F.R.S., F.Z.S. 

 t For explanation of the Plates see pp. 892-893. 



X "The Alcyonaria of the Cape of Good Hope and Natal. — Alcj'onacea " (with 

 our plates). Trans. Roy. Society Edinburgh, vol. xlvii. part iii. (No. 19), 1910. 



