THE GORGONIANS OF THE BRAZILIAN COAST 



By Addison E. Verrill. 



The following article is based largely on collections made by Professor C. F. 

 Hartt, during an expedition to Brazil in 1867, and others made by his associates, 

 about 1876, while he was engaged upon the Geological Survey of Brazil. Most 

 of the later collections were made by Mr. Richard Rathbun. Some were made 

 by Mr. J. C. Branner. The source of the specimens studied is given under each 



species. 



I have also been able to add descriptions and figures of the spicules of some 



long known but poorly described species, prepared from the type specimens in 



European museums by Prof. Albert Kolliker and sent to me by him in 1867. 



Hitherto the Alcyonarian fauna of Brazil has been very little studied. Al- 

 though a few species were briefly described by Lamarck, Milne-Edwards, 

 Ehrenberg, and Gray, they are isolated examples. 



The only paper devoted especially to the Brazilian Anthozoa, including the 

 Gorgonacea, was published by the writer in 1868. 1 In that paper five species of 



Gorgonians were described. 



The Challenger Expedition dredged a few deep-water species off the coast, 

 and two shallow water species, enumerated below, were obtained off Bahia. 

 These were well described and figured. The deep-water species are not included 

 in this paper except as mentioned here and on p. 380. 



The Hassler Expedition, 1872, also dredged off Brazil, a few species that 



have not yet been described, mostly from rather deep water. 



One is a red and yellow species of Evacis, 2 allied to E. solitaria (Pourt.). 



It was from off Bahia in 200 fathoms. 



A slender species of Primnoella, belonging to the Primnoidse, was dredged 

 off La Plata in 44 fathoms. These have been described and figured for the 

 Report on the " Blake " Alcyonaria, soon to be published. 



The present paper is intended to include only the shallow water species of 

 Gorgonacea, Probably many more remain to be discovered on the extensive 

 coast of Brazil, whenever systematic dredging is undertaken at moderate depths. 

 Probably a rich and almost unknown fauna will be found in 40 to 150 fathoms, 



1 Notice of the Corals and Echinoderms collected by Prof. C. F. Hartt, at the Abrolhos Reefs, 

 Province of Bahia, Brazil, 1867. Trans. Conn. Acad. Science, I, pp. 351-371, Plate IV, 1868. 



* This is a new genus of Muriceid» with large, thick, external plates, but with unarmed cahcles. 

 The type is E. rosea V., a handsome, branched, red, West Indian species with large, red, elliptical plates. 

 E. solitaria (P.) has much smaller external plates. Many other species occur in the West Indian deep 



water fauna. 



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