THOMSON AND CRANE— ALOYONARIANS 127 



FAMILY NEPHTHYIDiE. 



2. Dendronephthya (Spongodes) dendrophyta (Wright and Studer). 

 Plate, fig. 4. 



For description see : — 



Wright and Studer: Spongodes dendrophyta. Challenger Report, Vol. XXXI. 1889, pp. 204, 



205 ; PL XXXVI. c, fig. 2a, 26. 

 Studer: Alcyonarien aus der Sammlung des Naturhist. Museums in LUheek, 1894, p. 127. 

 See also Kiikenthal, Versuch einer Revision der Alcyonarien. II. Die Familie der Neph- 



thyiden. 2 Teil. Zool. Jahrh. xxi. (1905), p. 647, fig. 39. 



Numerous umbellate specimens showing considerable diversity in size and 

 appearance may be referred to this species. Several are of the open, loosely 

 branching type, figured in the Challenger Report, but the majority have the polyps 

 close-set and almost continuous on the surface of the polyparium as shown by 

 Kiikenthal. All are of an ovoid shape, markedly flattened from side to side. Typical 

 dimensions are : height, exclusive of the stalk, 5 cm. ; diameter, 4 cm. and 2 cm. ; 

 height of stalk, 4 '5 cm. The largest specimen has a polyparium 7 cm. high, with 

 diameters 6 "5 cm. and 3 cm., and a stalk 2*5 cm. in height. The length of 

 stalk varies considerably. There is a central axis from which spring several lateral 

 branches ; these again subdivide two or three times and give rise to the polyp-bearing 

 twigs. The twigs are grouped in fours or fives, and each bears about a dozen polyps. 

 Even in the loosely-branched types the polyps are all borne on the surface of the 

 polyparium, and immediately below those on the top of the stalk there are occasionally 

 isolated twigs with a few polyps. Some of the lower branches are leaf-like. 



The polyps are 0"55 — 0'6 mm. high and 0"6 — 0"7 mm. broad, with a stalk of 

 about the same height as the polyp. The spicules on the polyps are arranged in eight 

 double rows, each row containing usually four, but frequently five curved spicules 

 (up to 0"24 mm. in length). The uppermost spicules of the rows do not project. 

 The Stiitzbiindel contains two rows of long warted spindles (2 mm. long), the upper- 

 most projecting about half its length. On the superficial layers of the branches 

 there are numerous long warty spindles (1*22 xO"l mm.), and the x-shaped spicules 

 noted by Wright and Studer are also very numerous (0"17 mm. in diameter). 



Reproductive bodies — probably sperm-sacs — occur in great abundance. The 

 largest of these is 0"25 mm. in diameter. They are attached to the mesenteric bands 

 far below the polyp stalks. The specimens were collected in the month of December. 



Locality : — Rann Bay east of Poshetra, Okhamandal. Also off" Kiu, Beyt 

 Harbour. 



Previously recorded from : — Chinese Sea and the Philippines. 



