NO. 1658. ALCYONARIA OF THE CALIFORNIAN COAST— NUTTING. 703 



The spicules are purplish pink in color, of two types: 1. Needle- 

 shaped forms situated on the upper parts of the calycular walls on the 

 side toward which the pinnse are directed. 2. Long, bar-shaped 

 spicules on the lower calycular walls, sides of pinnae and on the rachis. 

 They are often aggregated in lines on the pinnae, making radiating 

 streaks. They also form patches on the under surfaces of the puma3 

 bases. 



Color. — In fresh specimens the pinnae are purplish; stem, upper 

 part of bulb whitish; swelling pinkish shading to deep purple in the 

 middle part. Ventral part of rachis nearly white. 



Locality. — University of California Station 956, 30-140 fathoms, 

 off La Jolla, California. 



ACANTHOPTILUM ANNULATUM, new species. 



Plate LXXXVI, figs. 11-13. 



Colony very slender. Length about 156 mm.; stem 68 mm. 

 There are about 170 pairs of pinnae, counting the rudimentary ones. 

 Full grown pinnae 5 mm. long by 1.5 mm. 



Polyps usually with 6 calyces to each well-developed pinna. Each 

 calycular margin is armed with 8 moderately acute points, composed 

 of coenenchyma reenforced by a few spicules. The longest (distal) 

 polyps are about 2 mm. long to margin of calyx. 



The zooids are in groups of 3 to 8, laterally placed, between adja- 

 cent pinnae. They are sometimes in a single row and sometimes in a 

 double row. 



The spicules are carmine pink in color, short rods with rounded 

 ends, quite small. They are arranged in 8 longitudinal lines in the 

 calycular walls, the lines ending in the points around the margin. 

 These lines also extend downward between the extensions of the 

 body cavities of the polyps, or on the lines which indicate the parti- 

 tions between the latter, so as to constitute superficial markings on 

 the surfaces of the leaves, these markings radiating from the base to 

 the border of each leaf. The under part of each leaf is marked at its 

 base by a distinct patch of densely aggregated spicules, bright car- 

 mine in color. These series of brightly colored spots, one on each 

 side of the rachis, give an annulated appearance to the colony in side 

 view and suggested the specific name " annulatum.'" 



The spicules are generally distributed over the stem and rachis, 

 but are less conspicuous on the former on account of the thickness of 

 the ectodermal covering. 



Color. — The general color of the colony is pink, owing to the com- 

 bination of carmine spinules and white coenosarc. The middle part 

 of the stem is purplish, the basal part being light pink, and the bulb 

 whitish. 



Type-specimen. — Cat. No. 25425, U.S.N.M, 



