THE GORGONIANS OF THE BRAZILIAN COA T. 



mainly by a slight depression where contiguous ones meet, thus forming moeth 

 polygonal, often hexagonal outlines due to crowding. 



The apertures are generally widely open, rounded or broad oval. Sometimes 



they are of double length and hour-glass shape, indicating instances of fissiparity. 



The ccenenchyma is thick, hard, compact; the surface appears very minutely 

 granular under a lens, due to very small, short spicules at the surface. 



In tangential sections the calicles appear nearly round, numerous, the int 

 sti< s usually not much exceeding the polyp-chambers. The substance of th« 



ccenenchyma is coarser than in P. obesa and P. braziliana, and the supporting 



spicules larger than in the latter. The tubules are rather larger and m< 



irregular than in the latter, and have apparently a more radial arranp n»< ut 



Their external pores are minute, but easily seen, especially in little pits on tin 



margins of the calicles. 



The spicules are larger and stouter than in most other species. f \ he larp r 



ones are stout, regular crosses, tripartite forms, irregularly twinn. 1 ipicuh 



and large, roughly warted spindles, sometimes with large, lateral outgrowths or 



incipient branches. Some regular, acute and subacute, venly warted ipindli 



occur. Among the small external spindles are many double-rosettes and 



small crosses. 



The larger double-spindles measure 0.42 X 0.14; 0.41 X 0.10; 0.39 X 0.15 



0.38 X 0.11; 0.34 X 0.15; twinned spicules and imperfect crosses, 0.43 X 027 

 0.42 X 0.19; 0.30 X 0.19; crosses, 0.38 X 0.37; 0.34 X 0.22; 0.30 X O.iii; double- 

 heads, 0.16 X 0.11 mm. 



Albrolhos Iteefs, Brazil. Prof. C. F. Hartt, coll. Type, No. 1 97, Yale 

 Museum. According to Professor Hartt this species ranges southward to ( Juar 

 pary and Cape Frio. 



Plexaurella braziliana Verrill. sn. nov. 



Mich 



ancep$ (?) Verrill, op. cit., 1868, p. 362, pi. IV, fig* 



Plate XXXIV, figures 3, 3a (spicules of No. 1598). Plate XX W figure 12 

 (tangential section); 12a (surface); 15 (tangential section seen by trans] >arency, 

 X 24). 



Coral tall, dichotomously branched, with the branches long and rapidly 

 ascending, smooth and terete, blunt at tip. Total height, 290 mm breadth, 

 60 mm.; length of longest terminal branchlets, 150 to 160 mm.; diamet r, 6 to 8 

 mm. The main stem and proximal part of the larger branches are smaller than 

 the distal part; diameter of stem, 4 mm. 



The ccenenchyma is thick and firm, nearly smooth to the eye; under a lens, 



minutely granular. 



The calicles, as dried, are entirely immersed; the apertures are numerous, 

 placed on all sides, in the form of mere slits or narrow ellipses or cnaecnts, and 

 sometimes ovate pores. They stand at all angles. In transverse sections the 

 calicles are often close together. 



