NO. 1624. DESCRIPTIONS OF HAWAIIAN ALCYONARIA— NUTTING. 581 



Polyps irregularly but sparsely scattered over main stem and larger 

 branches, more approximate on distal parts, where they often be- 

 come quite regularly alternate; those on the same side being about 

 3 mm. apart. They project at a right angle from the branches and 

 are 2 to 3 mm. high to the end of the operculum, varying from a 

 rough cylinder to the frustrum of a cone in shape ; average diameter 

 below collar about 2 mm. 



Spicules warty spindles, large and stout, often forked or branched, 

 arranged in circles at bases of the calyces, and vertically placed in 

 the calycular walls without forming eight longitudinal costse that 

 are as distinctly marked as in other species of this genus. At the 

 margin a few not very prominent points arise. The collar is quite 

 well marked, and is composed of rather slender spindles with in- 

 conspicuous verrucse or none. The opercular spicules are slender, 

 curved, warty spindles, covering the dorsal side of the tentacles in 

 longitudinal bundles of four to eight. Spicules of the ccenenchyma 

 rough, coarse spindles arranged longitudinally, in a general way, 

 but often more or less irregular in disposition. 



Color of main stem and branches dark golden brown. The rest 

 of the colony is grayish brown. 



Type.—Csit. No. 25353, U.S.N.M., Albatross station 4186, off 

 Kauai, 508-682 fathoms. 



Genus ANTHOMURICEA Wright and Studer. 



Calyces cylindrical, projecting perpendicular to the axis. Spindle- 

 shaped spicules arranged en chevron both on body walls and on 

 proximal parts of tentacles. 



ANTHOMURICEA TENUISPINA, new species. 

 Plate XLIV, fig. 2 ; plate XLVIII, fig. 5. 



Colony flabellate in form, attaining a height of about 375 mm., 

 growing from a basal disk-shaped concave flap of leathery con- 

 sistency. Stem 7 mm. thick, almost straight proximately^ and sinu- 

 ous distally, giving off large and small branches on opposite sides; 

 branches subdividing several times, sometimes giving off regularly 

 opposite twigs, and at others showing no regularity whatever. 



Polyps scattered sparsely on the main stem and branches, more 

 crowded distally. On the branchlets they are arranged in irregular 

 whorls of three or four, and are only about 2 or 3 mm. apart. The 

 twigs end in a broad lobular expansion on which is placed a group 

 of three to five polyps. 



Proc. N. M, vol. xxxiv— 08 38 



