KUNGL. SV. VET. AKADEMIENS HANDLINGAR. BAND 51. N:o |l. 45 
Fam. Nephthyidae VERrRRILL, 1869. 
Alcyonacea, whose colonies consist of a trunk, which supports the polyp-carrying 
branches. Colonies often membranous with few polyps, either scattered or arranged in 
bunches. BSpicules in the coenenchym between the coelenterons either scarce or packed 
in strongly developed formations. Spicules of anthocodiae and colony spindles, rods and 
rollers with girdles, (dumb-bells) and crosses. HSolenia well developed, with endodermal 
numerous canals or cell-strings, the canals abundant. 
1896 Nephthyidae KÖKENTHAL. 1904 Nephthyidae KÖKENTHAL. 
Synopsis. 
A) The anthocodiae retractile; the points of the branches with profuse development of coenenchym; spicules 
of anthocodiae rods, spindles and rollers with girdles. Gersemia MARENZELLER, 1878. 
B) The anthocodiae not retractile; the points of the branches with insignificant coenenchym. The spicules of 
anthocodiae, clubs, spindles, and rods. Ewnephthya VERRILL, 1869. 
Of this family, which is so rich in genera and species, there are found in the nor- 
thern seas representatives of only two genera, which are very closely related to each 
other, viz. Gersemia MARENZELLER and Kunephthya VERRILL. 
Gersemia was classified by MARENZELLER in 1878. In 1907 KUKENTHAL distinctly 
separated the genus Gersemia from the genus Eunephthya VERRILL. The differentiating 
characteristic was that called calyx (kelch) within Gersemia, which is caused by a vigo- 
rous development of spicules in the lower part of the anthocodia and in the coenenchym 
bark, whereby a complete retraction of the anthocodiae is to some extent prevented. As 
I shall be able to prove later on, this characteristic is of no value as a distinction between 
genera. Consequently I reject the genus Gersemia proposed by KÖKENTHAL. But for 
many reasons I divide the genus Hunephthya (sensu KUKENTHAL) into two genera, of 
which the one may be called Gersemia' MARENZELLER, the other Hunephthya VERRILL. 
Gersemia, in my opinion, is identical with HFunephthya alcyoniform:s (sensu KÖKENTHAL), 
Eunephthya is identical with Funephthya nephthyiformis (sensu KUKENTHAL). 
When I was determining the specimens at the State Museum, I was struck by the 
difficulty there was in deciding whether a so-called calyx existed or not. In the case of 
numerous specimens in the Funephthya (sensu KUKENTHAL), I found a calyx fully iden- 
tical with the one I had observed in Gersemia (sensu KUKENTHAL). By means of investiga- 
tions with a great number of Kunephthya-species (sensu KUKENTHAL) at the Swedish 
State Museum, and by comparing them with the type samples of all the Gersemia-species 
which are accepted by KUKENTHAL, I came to the conclusion that the calyx cannot be 
relied upon as a means of differentiating between genera or species. The development 
of a calyx is subject to actual individual variation. I have already pointed out cases, 
in regard to the family of Alcyoniidae, where the calyx varies as regards its existence 
1 MARENZELLER (1878) describes Gersemia loricata and Gersemia florida, which are identical with Gersemia 
fruticosa (Sars), 1860 [= Punephthya fruticosa (sensu KökEeNTHAL)]. 
