162 The Philippine Journal of Science i9i6 



the same color, size, and shape as those parts in Tuhipora, which 

 is common in the same habitat, and the colonies of one genus 

 are easily mistaken for those of the other when seen at a 

 distance. 



This very interesting alcyonarian is here reported for the first 

 time since Quoy and Gaimard reported it from Vanokoro in 1834. 

 Among their figures are an oral view of a polyp and a view of 

 the cut surface of a contracted polyp cut in half longitudinally. 

 A brief study of the numerous specimens in our collection has 

 shown several errors made by Quoy and Gaimard in their rather 

 superficial study of the polyp. In their figure of the oral view of 

 the polyp they show no pinnules on the tentacles. An examina- 

 tion of a number of specimens both externally and in sections 

 has shown that they were correct in this observation, the tentacles 

 showing no vestiges of pinnules. In the drawing of the half 

 polyp, however, the tentacles are figured as being completely in- 

 troverted and appear to have numerous pinnules, and a high 

 conical hypostome is shown on the oral surface. A superficial 

 examination of a contracted polyp cut in two longitudinally gives 

 much the same impression as the drawing of Quoy and Gaimard, 

 but a more careful investigation shows that the yellow mass 

 below the oral surface is composed of the mesenteries, which are 

 thickened at that point and surround the central stomodseum. 

 The conical hypostome of Quoy and Gaimard resolves itself into 

 the contracted tentacles, which form a conical mass just above 

 the oral surface. 



The absence of any vestige of pinnules makes this a very re- 

 markable form, and there are many other equally interesting 

 characters which would well repay a detailed investigation. 

 Some of these are: The presence of a reticulated mesoglcea 

 containing besides spicules large canals lined with ectodermal 

 cells which contain a few unicellular algae; the presence of an 

 external cuticle ; the presence in the distal moiety of an ectoderm 

 of very high columnar epithelium strikingly different from that 

 of any other known alcyonarian ; the presence near the junction 

 of the proximal and distal moieties between the ectoderm and 

 the true mesoglcea of a reticulum composed of outgrowths from 

 the mesoglcea in whose meshes lie small irregular-shaped ecto- 

 derm cells ; and lastly the enormous development of the muscular 

 ridges of the mesenteries and the peculiar structure of the 

 swollen, upper portion of the mesenteries in which the meso- 

 glcea is finely reticulated and contains numerous symmetrically 

 placed, deeply staining, irregular-shaped bodies. 



