ALCYONARIA FROM SINGAPORE. 521 



1895. Spongodia (pars) Holm, p. 25. 



1896, Spongodia (pars) Kiikenthal. 



1904. Spongodia (pars) Holm, Weiteres liber Xephthya und 



Spongodes. 



1905. Stereonephthja Kiikenthal, p. 694. 



" Spongodes "-like forms in which the polyps were scattered 

 irregularly over the stem were recognised at an early date, and 

 were classified sometimes as a distinct genus, at others as a sub- 

 genus of Spongodes, under the name Spoggodia or Spongodia. 

 Wright and Studer (1889) recognised this group, but included 

 its members in the genus Spongodes under the designation 

 " Divaricatje." Later writers, such as Holm (1895) and Kiiken- 

 thal (1896), agreed that Spongodes and Spongodia were synony- 

 mous. Hence Spongodes dragged Spongodia with it in its 

 downfall in 1905. For similar reasons to those stated in the 

 .section on Dendronephthija I have adopted the new genus Stereo- 

 nephthya which Kiikenthal (1905) defined thus: " Sehr starre 

 Ne^jhthyiden, deren Polypen weder in Liippchen noch in Biindeln 

 angeordnet sind, sondern einzeln oder in kleinen Gruppen direkt 

 vom Stamm wie den nicht oder wenig verzweigten Hauptasten 

 entsjaringen. Polypen mit ' Stiitzbiindeln.' " 



Stereonephthya lutea, sp. n. (PI. LXIII, fig, 14.) 



The specimen, on the obsei^vation of which this new species is 

 based, agrees in every respect with the diagnosis given by 

 Kiikenthal (1905) for the genus Stereonephtjiya, At the same 

 time it possesses characters which serve clearly to distinguish it 

 from other species hitherto described. 



The colony is upright and branched. ISTumerous tapering 

 branches leave the insignificant stalk either singly or in groups, 

 and spread in all directions, but with a distinct tendency to 

 assume an upright position. When they arise in groups, the 

 members forming a group are frequently united for a considerable 

 distance by a common cortex. The primaries sometimes, but not 

 invariably, bear a few stationary branches, which also show a 

 tendency to grow in a vertical direction. From both the primary 

 and secondary branches short lateral lobes are given off at 

 irregular intervals. 



Measurements : — 



Height of colony 7"5 cm. 



Breadth at base 1-5 ,, 



Maximum breadth of capitulum 5 "5 ,, 



Length of primary branches 3"5-5'0 ,, 



Breadth of primary branches ■{ , . ■'.' ;; ? " 



^ •' [ at extremity 0"5 ,, 



Length by breadth of secondary branches 1*5 x 0-5 



Length by breadth of lateral lobes 0-5 x 0-5 



Proc. Zool. Soc— 1912, No. XXXV. 35 



