NOTES ON PHILIPPINE ALCYONARIA 



PART i: THE PHILIPPINE SPECIES OF THE GENUS CAPNELLA 



By S. F. Light 



(From the Zoological Laboratory, College of Liberal Arts, University of 



the Philippines) 



Three plates 



Capnella capitiilifera (Wright and Studer). 



Paranephthya capitulifera Wright and Studer, Rep. Sci. Res. Chal- 

 lenger, Zool (1889), 31, 227, Plate 36A, figs, la and lb, Plate 42, 

 fig. 8 ; Studer, Alcyonarien aus der Sammlung des Naturhist. Mus. 

 in Liibeck (1894), 127. 



Paraspongodes capitulifera May, Jena. Zeit. Naturw. (1899), 33, 

 154, 155. 



Capnella capitulifera Kukenthal, Zool. Jahrb. Syst. (1904), 19, 128, 

 129. 



The tree-like colony has a thick rigid stem, decreasing in size 

 distally, from which the irregularly placed branches are given 

 off, themselves broken up into short twigs. The polyps are 

 placed at the ends of the twigs in more or less clearly defined, 

 rounded lobes, 4 mm. in diameter. The polyps are arranged 

 very closely on the lobes, and as they are bent inward they 

 overlap one another like tiles. Their length reaches 2 mm. and 

 their greatest breadth 1 mm. The short tentacles are folded 

 in over the mouth opening. The polyp armature consists of 

 a thick coat of small, toothed, foliaceous clubs. On the upper 

 surface of the outer ends of these spicules are broad, toothed 

 plates which are supported by strong ribs. The inner end of 

 the spicule consists of wart-like projections. The average 

 length of these spicules is about 0.1 mm. and their breadth 0.068 

 mm. The stem cortex contains spicules similar to those of the 

 polyp and compact 4-rayed stars, 0.19 mm. in diameter, set 

 with numerous thorns. The walls of the extremely numerous 

 and narrow canals contain many foliaceous clubs, 0.17 mm. 

 in length, which are usually extended at one end to form a 

 long pointed thorn. 



Color of the stem, brown ; of the polyps, lighter brown. 



Locality: Sulu Sea and Zamboanga. 



435 



