700 PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM. vol. xxxv. 



W. 5.8 miles, 20 fathoms; Station 4520, Point Pinos light-house 

 , S. 28° W. 11.2 miles, 44 fathoms; Station 4562, Santa Cruz Hght- 

 house N. 72° W. 8.1 miles, 10 fathoms. All of these stations are in 

 Monterey Bay. 



Numerous specimens were found by collectors from the San Diego 

 Marine Biological Association laboratory in Whalers Bight, San 

 Diego Bay. They were growing deeply immersed in the mud. Ver- 

 rill's specimens were from Panama and Cape St. Lucas. 



Other specimens are from Sausalito, California. 



Verrill regards tliis species of Gabb's as identical with his own 

 Stylatula elongata; the priority, however, belongs to the species 

 named by Gabb. 



For the somewhat confusing synonymy of this species, see Verrill." 



Genus ACANTHOPTILUM Kolliker. 



Colony very slender, with small, closely crowded leaves. Stem 

 with an end bulb, and usually another swelhng above this. A com- 

 paratively small plate of spicules under the base of each leaf. Spic- 

 ules in calycular walls, with points projecting above the margin of 

 calyces. Stem without radial canals. 



?ACANTHOPTILUM GRACILE (Gabb). 



Plate LXXXVI, figs. 3 and 4. 

 Virgularia gracilis Gabb, Proc. California Acad. Nat. Sci., II, 1863, p. 167. 



Colony excessively slender, total length 67 cm. Stem to begin- 

 ning of rudimentary pinnae 10 cm. Bulb not much swollen, passing 

 almost insensibly into the swelling above, which is about 10 cm. long. 

 A ventral median groove is often found passing along the whole 

 rachis but this feature is not constant. 



Pinnae excessively numeious and closely approximated, short, the 

 full-grown ones being 8 mm. long by 2 J mm. broad. 



Calyces short, 8 or 9 to each fully-developed pinna, each surrounded 

 by a border of 8 rather blunt points, oVal in section, greater diameter 

 transverse to the pinna owing to the crowding of the polyps. 



The polyps are retractile, although most of them are partially 

 expanded in alcoholic specimens. 



Zooids in groups of 6 to 12 on lateral sides of rachis between adja- 

 cent pinnse. They are more prominent than usual, showing plainly 

 the central depression surrounded by an elevated ring. 



Spicules of the ordinary pennatulid type. They are mostly needle- 

 like, practically colorless in alcoholic specimens, having but a slight 

 yellowish tinge. There is a patch of comparatively large spicules 

 supporting the base of each pinna on the under side. The spicules 

 are very sparsely distributed or absent on the stem and rachis. 

 There are 8 longitudinal bands of spicules in calycular walls. 



, oTrans. Connecticut Acad.. Arts and Sci., I, Pt. 2, pp. 382-384. 



