33 



af Grenen, men dette er undtagelsesvis. Polypcellerne Jere 

 runde, staa temmelig tæt i hverandre og ere forsynede med 

 8 adskilte Længderibber, dannede af Kalkspikler, hvori- 

 mellem sees en nøgen, smal Fure, som opimod Randen 

 eller der, hvor Cellen gaar over i Polypens Bagkrop, ud- 

 vider sig til et triangulært Spatium. Fig. 3, a. Naar 

 Polypen er lidt indtrukken. faar Cellens Rand et ottetandet 

 Udseende. Fig. 3. b. 



Polyperne ere 5 — 6'"'" lange, cylindriske, men udvide 

 sig tragtformigt op imod Tentakelskiven. Paa Størstedelen 

 af Polypkroppen ligge Spiklerne paatvers ; kun op imod 

 dens forreste Del antage de en mere perpendiculær Ret- 

 ning, som tiltager, idet de gaa over paa Tentaklerne; men 

 hvor denne Overgang foregaar, nemlig opimod Tentakel- 

 skiven. dannes imellem hver 2 Tentaklers Grund et tem- 

 melig stort, nøgent, triangulært Rum, der er overordentligt 

 tæt besat med Nematocyster, Fig. 3, c. Tentaklerne ere 

 halvt saa lange som Kroppen, omtrent 2""'\ vel forsynede 

 med Spikier paa den aborale Side, hvor de op imod 

 Enderne ligge paatvers. Pinnulerne ere uden Spilder, 

 men saavel paa disse som paa Tentaklernes adorale Side 

 og paa hele Mundskiven er eler en Mængde Nematocyster. 

 Mundaabningen danner en Tverspalte med temmelig tykke 

 Læber. Naar Kolonien er i Vigør og Polyperne udstrakte, 

 har hver Gren en Kugleform, der end tydeligere fremtræder. 

 naar Polyperne ere indtrukne, Fig. 2. 



I anatomisk-histologisk Henseende adskiller den sig 

 ikke væsentligt fra clen foregaaende Art. Svælgrøret synes 

 i Forhold til Polypkroppens Længde at være temmelig kort ; 

 det har kun to Rækker Spilder, og disse ligge langt fra 

 hverandre , saa Svælget i det Hele tåget er fattigt paa 

 Kalk, Fig. 4. Svælgrenden er smal, men forsynet med 

 de sædvanlige lange Pidskeceller ; i den øvrige Del af 

 Svælget er der i den eilierende Epithelialbeklædning ind- 

 leiret mange isolerede, ægformede, encellede Slimkjertler. 

 Den bagerste Del af Mavehulheden er hos mange Polyper 

 næsten udfyldt af Æg i de forskjelligste Stadier, ligesom 

 der i Polypcellerne hyppigt træffes Æg. 



Paa Basaldelen ligge Spiklerne tæt paa hverandre og 

 beståa væsentligst af Dobbeltstjerner, sjeldent træffes en 

 Klubbe eller sammensat Stjerne og yderst sjeldent en Firling. 

 Dobbeltstjernerne ere meget vexlende, men Grundformen gjen- 

 kj endes dog. De har alle brede Straaler i begge Ender med 

 et mere eller mindre nøgent Midtbelte. Straalerne ende 

 ofte i smaa Stjerner, der dannes ai yderst smaa. runde 

 Kalkkorn, som forresten fmdes afsat næsten overalt; de 

 ere fra 0.1)26—0.168"»" lange, fra 0.044—0.146""» brede i 



Den norske Nordhavsexpedition. D. C. Danielssen: Alcyonida. 



the part of the branches nearest the stem is bare (figs. 1. 2). 

 On a few branches, solitary polyps are seen to issue from 

 the inner part of the branch; that is, however, exceptional. 

 The polyp-cells are cylindrical, and are placed pretty far 

 apart from each other; they are furnished with 8, separ- 

 ated, longitudinal ribs formed of calcareous spicules, and 

 between these a bare narrow furrow is observed, Avhich, 

 up towards the margin, or at the point where the cell 

 passes over into the posterior body of the polyp, becomes 

 dilated to a tringular space (fig. 3, a). When the polyp 

 is a little retracted, the cellular margin acquires an octo- 

 dentate appearance (fig. 3, b). 



The polyps measure 5 — 6" m in length, and are cylin- 

 drical, but up towards the tentacular disk they dilate in 

 infundibuliform. In the greater part of the body of the 

 polyp, the spicules are placed transversally, and only up 

 towards the anterior part do they assume a more perpen- 

 dicular direction, which, increases as they pass over on to 

 the tentacles, but where this transition takes place, namely, 

 in proximity to the tentacular disk, a pretty large bare tri- 

 angular area is formed between the bases of each 2 ten- 

 tacles, and this space is extremely closely beset with nem- 

 atocysts (fig. 3, c). The tentacles are half the length of 

 the body, and measure about 2"™; they are well fur- 

 nished with spicules on the aboral side, where, in proxi- 

 mity to the extremities, they are placed transversally. 

 The pinnules are devoid of spicules, but upon these, 

 as well as, also, on the adoral side of the tentacles, and 

 on the entire oral disk, there is a multitude of neraato- 

 cysts. The oral aperture forms a transverse fissure having 

 toterably thick labiæ. When the colony is in full vigour 

 and the polyps extended, each branch has a spherical form, 

 which appears still more distinctly when the polyps are 

 retracted (fig. 2). 



In anatomo-histological relations, this species does 

 not materially differ from the preceding one. The gullet- 

 tube appears to be pretty short in proportion to the length 

 of the polyp-body; jit has only two series of spicules, and 

 these are placed far apart from each other, so that, alto- 

 gether, the gullet is poor in calcium (fig. 4). The gullet- 

 passage is narrow, but is supplied with the usual, long, 

 flagelliform cells. In the remaining part of the gullet, 

 there is observed, entrenched in the ciliating epithelial 

 covering, many isolated, oviform, unicellular mucous glands. 

 The posterior portion of the gastral cavity is, in many 

 polyps, almost filled up with ova in the most different 

 stages of development, whilst, also, ova are frequently met 

 with in the cells of the polyps. 



In the basal part, the spicules are placed close upon 

 each other, and consist, principally, of bistellates ; rarely 

 is a clavate or complex stellate met with, and still more 

 rarely is a quadruplet seen. The bistellates are very vari- 

 ous in form but. still, the normal form is recognised. 

 They all have broad rays at both extremities, and have a, 

 more or less, bare, medial stripe. The rays often terminate 

 in small stars, which are formed of extremely ininute, 

 round, calcareous grannules, which, indeed, are found 



5 



