VIII, D. 6 Light: Philippine Alcyonaria 449 



The polyps are scattered singly or in groups of 2 or 3 over the 

 surface of the main and secondary branches and more thickly 

 and regularly over the surface of the terminal twigs, which reach 

 a length of 30 mm. and average 4 mm. in diameter. The club- 

 shaped polyps are not closely packed, but are usually separated 

 by a space at least equal to the diameter of a polyp. They 

 reach a length of 2 mm. and a diameter at the tentacle zone 

 of 1.2 mm., being smallest near the base and largest at the 

 tentacle zone. The upper portion is turned in when at rest 

 or in a state of contraction, but the basal portion always makes 

 an angle of from 75" to 90° with its support. The tentacles in 

 the preserved specimens are thick, with plump, closely packed 

 pinnules, and were probably long in life. 



The polyp armature consists of small, slender, bluntly spined 

 and foliaceous clubs and straight or slightly curved bluntly 

 spined spindles. These run out into the tentacles as similar 

 but smaller spicules. The clubs consist of a long bluntly spined 

 thorn with the large end set on one side with long, sometimes 

 branched spines, and in many cases a toothed or spined foliaceous 

 expansion. The clubs lie with the large end toward the distal 

 end of the polyp and with the spines of that end toward the 

 outside and often projecting. Many of the curved spindles 

 have a group of spines on the center of the convex surface 

 which also project. The spicules of the stem cortex are straight 

 or curved spindles and toothed and foliated clubs. There are 

 two types of spindles, a thick type with more or less regular 

 zones of blunt projections bearing many short tooth-like spines 

 at their outer ends, and a more slender type in which the pro- 

 jections are fewer and more spine-like. The clubs have one end 

 much enlarged and irregularly foliated, spined, and toothed; the 

 other end consisting of a longer or shorter thorn, bearing blunt 

 projections similar to those of the slender spindles. The canal 

 walls and base contain many very thick spindles, a few smaller 

 double-headed spicules, and a few cross-shaped spicules. 



Spicule measurements. 

 (a) Polyp spicules: 



(1) Spindles: 0.218 by 0.028; 0.254 by 0.016; 0.24 by 0.016. 



(2) Clubs: 0.235 by 0.057; 0.19 by 0.05; 0.231 by 0.05; 0.21 by 0.06. 

 (6) Stem-cortex spicules: 



(1) Spindles: 0.2 by 0.05; 0.23 by 0.06; 0.22 by 0.06; 0.16 by 0.056; 



0.174 by 0.114; 0.167 by 0.076; 0.136 by 0.078. 



(2) Clubs: 0.21 by 0.08; 0.167 by 0.068; 0.163 by 0.085; 0.144 by 



0.068; 0.144 by 0.08. 



(3) Irregular forms: 0.08 by 0.057; 0.05 by 0.045. 



123230 4 



