54 PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM vol.72 



Our photograph is very similar to Smitt's Figure 61. The opesium 

 is elongated, without opesiular indentations, with concave proximal 

 border. The onychocellaria are small, and the mandible is narrow. 

 Harmer, 1926, represents Smittipora abyssicola as having a transverse 

 opesium with two opesiular indentations, with a convex proximal 

 border in which the onychocellarium is large and the mandible is 

 very broad. These characters, absolutely opposed to those which 

 we have observed on Smitt's species, causes us to reject his determi- 

 nation. We give the new name Velumella Jiarmeriana to the species 

 figured by him, which is distinct also in its opesium and its mandible 

 from Velumella levinseni. 



The figure of Hincks, 1881 (Singapore or Philippines), conforms 

 also to the drawing of Sirdtt. Perhaps the slight difi'erence observed 

 in the form of the mandible would authorize the formation of a vari- 

 ety or of a distinct species. We do not understand why Harmer 

 compared this species with his Smittipora cordiformis found by him 

 In the Malay region. The opesium is not elongated there; its proxi- 

 mal border is concave with feeble opesiular indentations, the onycho- 

 cellarium is large, and the mandible is very broad. We have not 

 accepted the synonymy of Harmer, and we refer to his species as 

 Velumella cordiformis Harmer, 1926. 



Biology. — The considerable reduction of the onychocellarium, com- 

 pared with the dimensions measured on other specimens of the genus, 

 seem to indicate that Rectonychocella ahyssicola lives in a rather 

 rapid marine current. 



Occurrence. — Albatross Station D. 2152, 23^ miles northwest of 

 Florida, Habana Light; 387 fms.; coral. 110 meters, on a Nullipore 

 (Smitt); off Cojima, Cuba, 628 meters (Hincks). 



Plesiotype.— Cat. No. 7576, U.S.N.M. 



Genus VELUMELLA Canu and Bassler, 1917 



VELUMELLA AMERICANA, new species 



Plate 6, Figures 9, 10; text Figure 7 



1873. Vincularia abyssicola Smitt, Floridan Bryozoa, pt. 2. Kongl. Svenska 

 Vetenskaps-Akademiens Handlingar, vol. 11, No. 4, p, 6, pi. 1, fig. 

 60 (not 61). 



1914. Smittipora abyssicola Osburn, Bryozoa of the Tortugas Islands, Flor- 

 ida. Publication Carnegie Institution, Washington, No. 182, p. 195. 



Description. — The zoarium encrusts shells, serpulae, and especially 

 nullipores. The zooecia are distinct, separated by a deep furrow, 

 hexagonal, elongated, often ogival; the mural rim is thin in its distal 

 part, enlarged laterally into facettes along the sides according to the 

 depth of the cryptocyst; the cryptocyst is concave longitudinally, 

 smooth, more or less deep. The opesium is large, somewhat elongated. 



