NO. 1658. ALCYONARIA OP THE CALIFORNIAN COAST— NUTTING. ^§3 



Order GORGONACEA. 



Suborder HOLAXONIA. 



Family Primnoid^. 



Family Muriceid^. 



Family Plexaurid^. 



Family Gorgonid^. 



Caligorgia sertosa. 

 Plumarella longispina. 



Elasmogorgia filiformis . 

 Muricella complanata. 

 Eumuricea pusilla. ' '. 



Psammogorgia arbuscula. 

 Psammogorgia simplex. 

 Psammogorgia torreyi. 

 Psammogorgia spauldingi. 



Leptogorgia florae-. 

 Leptogorgia purpurea. 

 Leptogorgia caryi. 

 Stenogorgia kofoidi. 



A glance at the foregoing list shows that the most striking feature 

 of the collection is the number and variety of pennatulids, there 

 being 20 of these beautiful forms out of a total of 38 alcyonarians. 



Remembering the large number of Muricidse and Plexauridae 

 described by Verrill from the west coast south of the United States, 

 it is somewhat surprising that more numerous representatives of 

 these groups are not included in the present list. This is probably 

 due to the fact, before referred to, that Verrill's material was largely 

 from shallow water, while the present collection was mostly from 

 deep water. 



The only alcyonarians that the writer saw in shallow water while 

 working on that coast were Stylatula gracilis and Benilla ameihys- 

 tina, both pennatulids. So far as could be ascertained, no other 

 alcyonarians had been collected from shallow water, either at La 

 JoUa, where the laboratory of the Marine Biological Association of 

 San Diego is located, or at Pacific Grove. The coast at both these 

 places is rocky and furnishes many almost ideal habitats for alcyo- 

 narian life, and the reason for its almost entire absence is not evi- 

 dent, especially in view of its abundance along the Central American 

 coast. 



