84 PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM. vol.43. 



Color: The axis is brown proximally, lightening distally; colony in 

 general apparently dark brown, but this seems to be accidental, as the 

 spicules when in situ are covered with black or dark-brown specks 

 which do not appear in the cleaned spicules. The polyps are umber- 

 brown. 



Localities. — Station 4935; Sata Misaki Light, N. 58° E., 4.5 miles; 

 103 fathoms. Station 4936; Sata Misaki Light, N. 21° E., 5.7 miles; 

 103 fathoms. Station 5070 (type); Ose Saki, S. 8° W., 1.8 miles; 

 108 fathoms. 



Type-specimen.— Csit. No. 30096, U.S.N.M. 



This species approaches Muricella, on the one hand, in the strong 

 spindles, and ^cis in some of the plate-like spicules. It bears some 

 resemblance to AcantJiomuricea ramosa Thomson and Henderson.^ 

 This species, however, will go very well into the genus Placogorgia 

 of authors. 



Genus VILLOGORGIA Duehassaing and Miehelotti (emended 

 by Wright and Studer). 



Colony flabellate, often reticulate; coenenchyma thin; calyces short; 

 cylinders with an operculum in which each flap is composed of three 

 spindles arranged in an acute-angled triangle. Spicules mainly tri- 

 radiate or quadriradiate forms, or " Stachelplatten." 



VILLOGORGIA BRUNNEA, new species. 

 Plate 12, figs. 2, 2a; plate 21, fig. 3. 



Colony flabellate and reticulate, 5.8 cm. high and with a spread of 4.9 

 cm. Main stem 2 mm. in diameter; 6 mm. from its base it forks 

 into two subequal branches, offshoots of which anastomose. Branch- 

 lets opposite and irregularly alternate, some of the distal ones again 

 branching. The distance between branchlets averages about 5 mm. 

 The calyces are mainly lateral, but some are on the front of the colony, 

 irregularly alternate on antero-lateral surface, about 1.5 mm. apart. 



The individual calyces are in the form of short cylinders, a typical 

 one measuring 1.3 mm. high to margin and 1.5 mm. broad. They are 

 often more like broadly truncated cones. Their walls are filled with 

 small triradiate and quadriradiate spicules, the points of which are 

 inconspicuous but which are directed slightly upward and outward 

 from the walls. There are no marginal points. The polyps usually 

 rest with their collarets on the margin. Collarets well marked, con- 

 sisting of two or more circular rows of spindles. Operculum formed 

 mainly of tln-ee spindles in the usual position for this genus, forming 

 an acute-angled triangle pointing toward the center of the dome- 

 shaped tentacular mass. There are usually a few accessory spicules 

 parallel with the others. 



1 Alcyonaria of the Indian Ocean, vol. 1, 1906, p. 61. 



