EEPOET 



ON A 



COLLECTION OP ALCYONAEIANS 



FROM 



OKHAMANDAL IN KATTIAWAR 



MADE BY MR. JAMES HOENELL IN 1904-5, 



BY 



PROF. J. ARTHUR THOMSON, M.A., 



AND 



GEORGE CRANE, B.Sc, University of Aberdeen. 



[With one Plate ^ and two Text-figures.] 



In the course of an investigation of the shallow-water fauna of part of the 

 Gulf of Kutch, Mr. James Horn ell made a small collection of Alcyonarians which 

 presents some features of interest. The precise district was the coast of Okhamandal, 

 which forms the N.W. extremity of the Kattiawar Peninsula, and Mr. Hornell 

 has called our attention to the fact that specimens of Dendronephthya or Spongodes, 

 of Lophogorgia, Astromuricea, etc., could be collected at low tide. 



The collection includes eight species, one of which — Astromuricea stellifera — 

 is new. There is also a new variety of a remarkable species of Echinomuricea 

 previously found in the Indian Ocean. The position of the various species may 

 be indicated as follows : — 



Ordee Alcyonacea. 



Family Alcyonidse : L Sclerophytum polydactylum (Ehrenberg). 

 Family Nephthyidse : 2. Dendronephthya {Spongodes) dendrophyta (Wright and 



Studer). 

 3. Dendronephthya (Spongodes) brevirama (Burckhardt). 



'^ The artist's fee for drawing the specimens on this plate was paid by the Carnegie Trust for the 

 Universities of Scotland, and I wish to thank the Trustees for helping me on this and other occasions to 

 "ive worthy illustrations of the beautiful animals described. — J.A.T. 



