NO. 1624. DESCRIPTION'S OF HA WAIIAiV ALCYONARIA— NUTTING. 597 



Family GORGONELLID^ Wright and Studer. 



Branched forms Avith a calcareous axis, thin smooth coenenchyma, 

 and biradiall}^ disposed polyps. Spicules small warty double clubs 

 and stellate forms. Longitudinal furrows on the flattened anterior 

 and posterior faces of the stems and larger branches. 



Genus VERRUCELLA Milne Edwards. 



Colony branched, calyces wart-like, surmounted by an eight-rayed, 

 star-like pseudo-operculum formed of the tentacle bases. 



VERRUCELLA BICOLOR, new species. 



Plate XLVI, figs. 6, 7. 



Colony incomplete, 25 mm. high, consisting of a short basal stem 

 which almost immediately breaks up into two subequal branches, one 

 of which divides dichotomously twice, the other once ; one of the 

 resultant branches also divides once; the whole form being flabellate. 

 Another specimen of about the same size divides into three main 

 branches, each of which sends off irregularly disposed branchlets, 

 only the end divisions being dichotomous. 



The pol3^ps are distributed on two sides, and sometimes on the back 

 of the branches, leaving an area in front which is almost entirely de- 

 void of polyps, and which is traversed by two or more longitudinal 

 canals which appear superficially as darker longitudinal bands. 



Calyces irregularly, spaced, averaging about 1^ mm. apart, verruci- 

 form, in the shape of low domes when the polyps are retracted, and in 

 the shape of truncated cones when the polyp is expanded. Height 

 about 1 mm. 



Spicules, small warty spindles, often curved, sometimes forming 

 stars or double stars, uniformly distributed in the cortex and calycu- 

 lar walls. Just below the tentacle bases is a row of curved transverse 

 spicules like a primitive collaret, and above these two converging 

 spicules form the first of the tentacular spicules which are reinforced 

 by one to three narrow spindles on each tentacle. These form the 

 eight-rayed star-like oiDcrculum referred to in the generic definition 

 given by Wright and Studer. 



Color. — Coral red in one specimen and orange yellow in the other. 

 The exposed polyps are yellow. 



Type.—C2ii. No. 25333, U.S.N.M., Albatross Station 3982, off Kauai 

 Island, 40-233 fathoms. Eed. 



Additional locality. — Northeast coast of Maui: Station 4072, 59 

 fathoms. Yellow. 



Proc. N. M. vol. xxxiv— 08 39 



