448 The Philippine Journal of Science X9ia 



in the stem, and there is no suggestion other than the very thick 

 canal walls of a central axis as found in C. ramosa and in some 

 colonies of C. philippinensis. 



The other colony is smaller with a somewhat different method 

 of branching. The entire colony is 15 mm. in height, the stem 

 dividing at a height of 18 mm. into 3 main branches about 6 

 mm. in length, covered with polyps and each having a smaller 

 branch or two, each branch with its branchlets making up a 

 sort of compound catkin. 



This species differs from any of the described species of the 

 genus not only in the small size of the colony but in its spicu- 

 lation. While it agrees with some of the named species in certain 

 characters, it does not agree with any of them in its total 

 characters. In spiculation it approaches C. ramosa, but the form 

 and size of the colony and the arrangement of the polyps is 

 radically different in the two species. It differs from C. philip- 

 pinensis in the form of its colony and in the spicules of the 

 polyp and stem cortex which in C. philippinensis are capstans 

 and foliated clubs, while in C. parva they are spindles and clubs, 

 the latter showing little if any foliation. From C. capitulifera 

 and C. imbricata it differs among other things in the form, of 

 its polyp spicules. In its spiculation it suggests C. spicata 

 (May), but the larger size of the clubs of the polyp, the presence 

 besides the clubs of many spindles in the polyp armature, the 

 larger size of the spicules of the stem cortex, as well as the 

 difference in size and form of the colony make it impossible to 

 consider it as belonging to C. spicata. Capnella fungiformis, 

 although resembling C. parva somewhat in its spiculation, differs 

 radically from it in the form of its colony and the method of 

 branching. From the other known species of Capnella it differs 

 even more widely than from those mentioned. 



I have selected the specific name parva, because of the small 

 size of the perfect and apparently mature specimens. 



Capnella ramosa sp. nov. Plate II, figs. 1-3 ; Plate III, figs. 2a-2g. 



The tree-like colony is profusely branched. The rigid stem is 

 short and cylindrical, measuring in the single specimen 35 mm. 

 long by 18 mm. in diameter, and is covered with fine longitudinal 

 ridges which extend out on to the main branches. The entire 

 colony is about 130 mm. in height and 100 mm. in greatest 

 breadth, the stem breaking up at a height of 35 mm. into the 5 

 main branches which extend somewhat laterally and are pro- 

 fusely branched, giving the colony a bushy appearance. The 

 secondary and tertiary branches bear the long slender twigs. 



