82 



aftager successivt lidt i Tykkelse op til Toppen, der deler 

 sig i flere Grene. Dens nederste Trediedel er i Regelen 

 nøgen, imedens de øvrige to Trediedele ere tæt besatte med 

 Grene, der slutte sig temmelig nær til Stammen, Fig. 1. 

 Basaldelen er fast, tildels skiveformigt udvidet. Grenene 

 sidde rundt Stammen, ere mere eller mindre lange, de 

 midterste paa Stammen ere længst ; de ere furede paalangs. 

 og som oftest lige fra deres Udspring rigt besatte med 

 Polyper, som ere ordnede i Grupper, saa at 3 — 6 — 8 

 Polyper kunne forene sig i en liclen Gren, der gaar over 

 i Hovedgrenen, Fig. 1. 2. Disse Polypgrupper sidde tæt 

 paa og rundtom Grenen, og imellem dem sees af og til 

 enkelte Polyper, der bidrage end mere til ganske at 

 dække Grenen, Fig. 1. 2. Ogsaa fra selve Stammen ud- 

 springer paa nogle Exemplarer dels enkelte, dels en liden 

 Gruppe af 3 — 4 Polyper; de isolerede Polyper ere da 

 altid længere end de, som sidde i Grupper. Grenene 

 ende i tætte Polypgrupper og faa derved et mere eller 

 mindre kolbeformigt Udseende, Fig. 1. 2. 



Polyperne ere bægerformede, ikke retraktile; de ere 

 (3 — gwm lange; Bagkroppen er 2 mm , Forkroppen 2 mm og 

 Tentaklerne 2 — 4"™. De have paa den udvendige Side af 

 Kroppen 8 Ribber, dannede af Spilder, Fig. 3, hvilke især 

 ere stærkt fremtrædende paa Forkroppens Rygside og gaa 

 over paa Tentaklernes aborale Flaxle lige til deres Ende, 

 Fig. 3. 4. Imellem Ribberne er der temmelig dybe 

 Furer, som ligeledes ere rige paa Kalkspikler, Fig. 3. Hele 

 Kroppen med Tentaklerne er saaledes bepantsret med 

 Kalk, kun paa Bugsiden ligge Spiklerne mindre tæt, hvor- 

 for Polyperne, især paa Spiritusexemplarer, stadig ere 

 bøiede imod denne. Pinnulerne ere lange, smale, staa 

 temmelig langt fra hverandre, og ved deres Grunddel sees 

 en Spikel, der udgaar fra Tentakelens Sidedel; men for- 

 resten ere de uclen Kalk, Fig. 4. 



I flere af Polypgrupperne iagttages en eller flere 

 stærkt opsvulmede Polyper, der have antaget Formen af 

 en Hjelmbusk," Fig. 5; det er hele Kroppen, men for- 

 nemmelig dens forreste Del, som er udvidet og indtager 



Savigny en til Lamareks Ammothea nærstaaendeAlcyonide, som lian 

 antog for en ny Slægt og kaldte Nephthya. Det har imidlertid 

 vist sig, at disse to Slægter ikke kunne opretholdes som saadanne; 

 Slægtskaraktererne gaar saa over i hverandre, at de passe lige 

 godt paa begge, hvorfor de bør slaaes sammen til en Slægt. Ifølge 

 Alderen skulde altsaa Lamareks Navn, Ammothea, bibeholdes; men 

 da Leach et Par Aar tidligere har givet dette Navn til en Crustace- 

 Slægt, anser jeg det for rigtigst, at Savigny's Benævnelse, Nephthya, 

 opstilles som Slægtsnavn for Slægterne Ammothea og Nephthya. 



and, at its base, measures about l mm in thickness, but 

 diminishes gradually, a little, in thickness, towards its 

 summit, which, again, becomes ramified into several branches. 

 The inferior third-part is, usually, bare, whilst the remain- 

 ing two-third parts is closely beset with branches which 

 keep themselves pretty close to the stem (fig. 1). The 

 basal part is firm and, partly, discoidally dilated. The 

 branches are situated around the stem, and are more or 

 less long, those- situated in the medial part of the stem 

 being the longest. They are grooved longitudinally, and 

 are, most frequently, richly beset with polyps, commencing 

 quite at the branchial root. The polyps are so arranged 

 in groups, that from 3 to 6 or 8 polyps may unite into a 

 branchlet that passes over into the chief branch (fig. 1. 2). 

 These polyp groups sit closely on, and around, the branch, 

 and between them some single polyps are occasionally seen, 

 which contribute still further to completely conceal the 

 branch (fig. 1. 2). In a few specimens there also spring, 

 from the stem itself, sometimes single, sometimes a small 

 group of 3 — 4 polyps; in this case the isolated polyps 

 are always longer than those situated in groups. The 

 branches terminate in compact polyp groups, and acquire 

 thus, a more or less sub-claviform appearance (figs. 1. 2). 



The polyps are chalice-formed and non-retractile ; they 

 measure 6 — 8 mm in length, the posterior body measuring 

 2 mm , the anterior body 2 mm , and the tentacles 2 — 4"™. 

 On the exterior side of the body, they are furnished with 

 8 ribs, formed of spicules (fig. 3), which are, especially, 

 strongly prominent on the dorsal side of the anterior body, 

 and pass over to the aboral surface of the tentacles, quite 

 to their extremity (figs. 3. 4). Between the ribs, there 

 are pretty deep grooves which are also rich in calcareous 

 spicules (fig. 3). The entire body and the tentacles are 

 thus protected with a calcareous sheathing, and only on 

 the ventral side do the spicules lie more openly, for which 

 reason, the polyps, especially in specimens preserved in 

 alcohol, are constantly curved towards it. The pinnules 

 are long and slender, and are placed pretty far apart from 

 each other ; a spicule is seen at their basal part which 

 issues from the lateral part of the tentacle, but otherwise 

 they are devoid of calcium (fig. 4). 



In several of the groups of polyps, there may be ob- 

 served one, or more, strongly tumefied polyps which have 

 assumed the form of a helmet-plume (fig. 5. The entire 

 body, and especially its anterior part, is dilated and, here, 



1818, Savigny described an Alcyonoid approximating to Lamarck's 

 Ammothea, and which he took to be a new genus, and called 

 Nephthya. It has, however, been ascertained that these two genera 

 cannot be maintained independently of each other; the generic cha- 

 racteristics become so much absorbed, the one in the other, that they 

 apply equally well to both, for which reason they ought to be 

 classed together as one genus. According to seniority, therefore, 

 Lamarck's designation Ammothea should be retained, but as Leech 

 a couple of years previously, has applied this designation to a Orus- 

 taceous genus, I consider it preferable that .Savigny's designation, 

 Nephthya, be applied, and established as the generic designation 

 for the genera Ammothea and NeiDhthya. 



