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THE GORGONIANS OF THE BRAZILIAN COAST. 391 



have the axis more strongly calcareous, and have slight variations in the spicuh 

 that are scarcely more than of generic value. 



Gorgonia hartti Verrill, sp. now 



Plate XXIX, figures 6, 6a (branch and spicules of No 4554, in natural colors). 

 Plate XXX, figure 2 (branch of same). Plate XXXIII, figure 6 spicules of 

 same). Plate XXXV, figure 6 (calicles of same). 



Coral purplish red to blood-red, flabelliform, reticulated with lender 

 slightly flattened branchlets and branches, becoming somewhat quadrangula 

 on the larger branches, owing to the calicles being arranged mostly in four row- 

 The branchlets almost all anastomose, except the terminal ones. The largest 

 specimen (No. 4553) is a broad, flabelliform specimen, 200 nun. high and 345 mm. 

 broad, dividing into two main lobes. 



Several main branches arise from close to the base and diverge radially, some 

 giving off many branches of the third and fourth orders, which quickly heroine 

 subparallel and are connected together by numerous transver* branchlets of 

 about the same size, producing squarish, irregular, and oblong meshes, mostly 

 3 to 4 mm. wide. The color of this specimen is bright purplish red or nearly 

 blood-red when wet. 



The other specimen is 145 mm. high; width was about 100 mm., but about half 

 is broken off. 



The meshes are rather small, mostly from 2.5 to 4 mm., but varying from 

 2 to 8 mm., and sometimes more. They vary greatly in shape. Many are 

 square; some are oblong; some triangular; but most are irregular in form. The 

 larger branches have a somewhat radial arrangement but the small transv< rse 

 branchlets often diverge at right angles, or nearly so. They often fork, or two 

 or more may inosculate between the branchlets. 



The calicles are very small, 0.3 to 0.5 mm. in diameter, rounded verruciform, 

 or dome-shaped, as contracted. The aperture is usually entirely closed, or shows 

 only as a minute oblong or elliptical slit, but in some cases the whitish spicules 

 of the nearly retracted tentacles can be seen as minute white spots. 



The calicles are numerous and usually form two close alternate rows on each 

 edge of the branches and larger branchlets, giving them a more or less quad- 

 rangular form. The bases of the consecutive calicles are often almost in contact, 

 but are sometimes separated by spaces equal to the diameter, rarely round. On 

 the smaller branchlets they are placed on all sides, close together, usually leaving 

 no bare median line. On the stalk and principal branches the bare median area 

 is irregular and narrow, and in the dry specimens shows a narrow median groove, 



due to the main longitudinal peraxial duct. 



The axis in the stalk and larger branches is very dark brown or nearly black, 

 hard, slightly translucent; in the smaller branchlets it becomes nearly amber- 

 color, translucent, and brittle. It is slightly calcareous and effervesces feebly 

 with acids. 



