Coughtrey. — Notes on the New Zealand Hydroidece. 283 



Sertularia simplex, Hutton, loc. cit. 



Hydrophyton small. u Hydrocaulis short, simple or rarely branched, 

 erect ; pale yellowish brown. Hydrothecae distant, alternate, ovate ; aperture 

 sinuated. Gonangia ovate, transversely wrinkled with a toothed crown." 



To Captain Hutton's description I would add the following : — Hydrocaulis 

 twisted between each hydrotheca, and the oblique joint is nearest to the 

 proximal hydrotheca. Hydrothecae large, swollen at base, mouth quadri- 

 dentate, teeth diagonally placed, outer and inner ones more acute than lateral 

 ones. Gonangia very indistinctly transversely wrinkled, the most distinct one 

 being that which separates the body of gonangium from the neck. 



I have not the least doubt that this species is the New Zealand rep re- 

 sentative of Sertularia polyzonias of Linnaeus. The largest specimen I have 

 seen is Captain Hutton's type specimen, but I have gathered innumerable 

 dwarf specimens on the Timaru beach, around Tairoa Head, Otago, and 

 attached to the roots of washed-up Laminarians on the Ocean Beach, and 

 these have exhibited considerable variety. Thus fig. 8 indicates the type 

 specimen ; fig. 9 shows the characters of a very common variety I got at 

 Timaru and on the Ocean Beach, in which the faint shallow grooves, generally 

 three in number, that cross the hydrothecae are well seen ; fig. 10 exhibits a 

 marked variety that I got at Tairoa Head. It is remarkably like variety c 

 figured by Dr. Johnston (loc. cit., Vol. I., p. 62), and presents almost distinct 

 enough characters to form a separate species, but beyond the difference in the 

 hydrothecae, it agrees both in form and habit with Sertularia simplex. 



Captain Hutton obtained his type specimen in Lyall Bay, so that this 

 must be a very widely distributed species. I ought to add I have found 

 variety (fig. 10) also at Tairoa Head and other places. Figs. 8-11. 



Sertularia ramulosa, sp. nov. 



S. fasciculata, Coughtrey (M.SS.)* 



Hydrophyton creeping, several twisting around one another to form bushy 

 tufts. Colour pale yellow. 



Hydrocaulis delicate and flexuous, it and branches jointed ; branchlets 

 mostly from one side of rachis or the branches, dividing dichotomously in a 

 sub-fasciculate manner, or in a loose racemose arrangement. 



Hydrothecae opposite a joint between each pair but nearest to the proximal 



pair, semi-adnate, lip oblique, and toothed, teeth two, almost lateral, one much 

 larger than the other. 



Gonangia obovate, pedicellate, attached to the open angle between hydro- 

 thecae and ramus, smooth with a distinct neck, and mouth entire. 



Hydrorhiza indistinct. 



* I first described this under the name of S> fasciculata, but at Mr. Kirk's sugges 

 tion changed it to the above* 



