' Alcyonaria g 9 



IT. 



Revision of additional Canadian Alcyonaria, with 

 descriptions of two new genera and some new 



species. 



By A. E. Verrill. 



The late Dr. J. F. Whiteaves, in his Catalogue of the JNIarine Invertebrata 

 of Eastern Canada' gave a prettj^ complete list of the Alcyonaria recorded up 

 to that date by me and others. 



Most of those species were known only from the Grand Banks, and the 

 deep-water fishing grounds off Nova Scotia, many having been brought up 

 on the long trawl-lines used by the cod and hahbut fishermen or dredged by 

 the U.S. Fish Commission Steamer "Albatross" in the deep waters on or near 

 the Banks. Some of them were of great size and many were species and genera 

 then new to science. 



A few additions to the list have been made since that time. Several, 

 however, need revision as to their generic affinities and nomenclature. A few 

 species have been discovered on the North Pacific coast that have not hitherto 

 been recorded as belonging to the Canadian Fauna. 



In the following report 1 have endeavoured to supply some of this additional 

 information, together with some illustrations of species that have not yet been 

 figured at all, or only imperfectly illustrated. 



In the Alcyonaria group the forms, sizes, and arrangement of the micro" 

 scopic spicules are matters of much importance for the determination of fhe 

 genera and species, or even, in many cases, to determine the families to which 

 they belong. In other words, the "architecture" of the polyp bodies and calicles 

 is of great importance in the study of the group. The modes of branching and 

 forms of the colonies are generally variable, and therefore of much less import- 

 ance, though frequently characteristic. 



Danielssen^ has given excellent and elaborate illustrations of the forms 

 of the colonies, polyps, and spicules of various species and varieties of Alc3^onacea 

 that are found also off the coasts of the American continent in deep water. 



Suborder Pennatulacea Verrill, 1865. 



Family PENNATULID.^ Verrill , 1865. 



Ptilella borealis (M. Sars) Gray. Great Sea-Pen. 



Pennatida grandis Ehhenberg, Corall. Roth. Meeres, p. 66, 1834 (not of Pallas, 



1766, p. 366j. 

 Pennatida grandis Kolliker, Voy. Challenger, I, part 2, p. 4, 1881 {non Pallas). 

 Ptilella borealis Gray, Cat. Sea-Pens, p. 21, 1870: Verrill, Amer. Jour. Sci., 



Vol. XVII, p. 241, 1879. 

 Pennatula borealis Sars, Fauna Lit. Norveg., Vol. I, p. 17, pi. 2, figs. 1-4, 



1856. Kolliker, Pennatuhden, I, p. 136. Richiardi, Monog. Pennat. p. 31, 



pi. 2, figs. 15-17. Verrill, Amer. Jour. Sci. Vol. XVI, p. 375, 1878: op. cit. 



Vol. XXIV, p. 364, 1882. Bull. Mus. Comp. Zool., Vol. XI, No. 1, p. 3, 



1883; Ann. Rep. U.S. Fish. Comm., 1883, pp. 509, 532, pi. IV, figs. 8, 8a, 



1885 (sub-genus Ptilella). 



1 Geological Survey of Canada, 1901, No. 722. 

 ' N. Nordhavs-Exped . Alcyonida. 1887. 



