

334 



The Philippine Journal of Science 



1913 



Gonosome. — Female gonophores of the streptospadiceous type 

 with the spadix almost completely encircling the ovum, but with 

 proximal end not recurved or bifurcated, borne on the hydranth 

 in verticils of from 4 to 6 just distal to the sense ring. Ova often 

 found attached to perisarc of pedicels. Male gonophores 2- or 

 3-chambered, paddle shaped, often bifurcated distally in a vertical 

 plane, typically 2 to a hydranth on opposite sides, occasionally 1 

 or 3. 



Color. — The live hydroid is dull sepia brown. Alcoholic 

 specimens are white, and those fixed in corrosive sublimate are 

 grayish pink. 



Habitat. — In shallow tide channels on coral reef, Bantayan 

 Island, P. I. 



Type. — No.' C894, zoological collection. University of the Phil- 

 ippines. — 



Systematic position. — Eudendrium griffini is a very distinct 

 form of the genus. It resembles E. parvum Warren ('08) in its 

 growth habits, but differs from it in the shape of its hydranths, 

 in the form and arrangement of its male gonophores, and in the 

 absence of scattered annulations. It differs from any other 

 described species of Eudendrium, in the number of its tentacles, 

 having from 50 to 70 borne in 2 or 3 rows, and in the form of 

 its hydranths with their long, tapering pretentacular region and 

 their relatively small hypostome hidden by the distally directed 

 tentacles. 



This hydroid was collected by Dr. Lawrence E. Grifiin in the 

 shallow tide channels which are found on the inner portion of 

 the coral reef at Bantayan Island.^ It grew there in consider- 

 able quantities on stones, sponges, and seaweed. Some good 



* Bantayan Island is a small island belonging to the Province of Cebu, 

 P. I., and lying about 30 kilometers to the westward of the northern end of 

 Cebu Island. The island and its outlying islets are low and flat, connected 

 by reefs, large areas of which are exposed at low tide. The most extensive 

 reef is on the west coast of Bantayan Island opposite the town of Bantayan, 

 extending nearly a mile from the shore. It is crossed by several channels 

 from 20 to 50 meters wide which contain from 0.5 to 1.5 meters of swiftly 

 running water at low tide. This species of Eudendrium was found in great 

 quantities along the edges of these tidal channels, attached to grasses, 

 sponges, and dead branches of corals, and sometimes densely covering an 

 area as much as 10 centimeters square. Many of the colonies must have 

 been out of water at extreme low tides. At a little distance the living 

 colonies resemble tufts of brown moss. The color of the entire colony in 

 life is a rather rich dark sepia brown. The individual polyps are colored 

 a light sepia. The colonies were found only in those parts of the reefs 

 which were free from mud and silt. L. E. G. 



