104 
Fig. 102. Parantipathes laricides 
sp. n. a Lateral view of the bran¬ 
ches; b horizontal projection of the 
branches; (schemata). 
^L 
© 
CL 
Fig. 103. Parantipathes laricides 
sp. n. a Spines on an ultimate 
branch; b spines on the top of a 
branch; a, b 52 X- 
5. Parantipathes laricides sp. n. 
Stat. 170. 3° 37 .7 S., 131° 26 .4 E. Arafura-sea. 924 M. Fine grey mud. 1 spec. 
The natural base of this colony, which is 7 cm. long and slightly curved, is lacking. 
The basal diameter of the stem is 285 y. and tapers gradually to¬ 
wards the top. The entire stem bears branches, 1.25—1.75 cm. 
long, except on the last 2 cm. of the colony, where they diminish 
in length; some branches are longer, through the very long, slender 
top. They are inserted at an angle of 67.5°, which in the basal part 
of the cqlony is nearer 90°. All the branches are straight, or very 
rarely somewhat distally curved, and always simple. There are 6 
longitudinal rows of branches, the planes of which are at subequal 
angles with one another. Every three rows are inserted at nearly 
the same level on the stem; each number 
of three alternates rather regularly with 
the preceding and the following group 
of three (cf. fig. 102, a). The opposite members of two succeeding 
groups of three lie in the same plane, so that three planes in all 
can be brought through the branches (fig. 102, b). The mutual 
distance between two succeeding groups of three on the same side 
of the axis is ± 3.5 mm., which value diminishes towards the top 
of the colony. Sometimes very slight deviations occur in this very regular arrangement through 
the omitting of a branch. — The spines (fig. 103) on the branches are distributed in 3 longitudinal 
rows; their length is 55 y. and 10 y. on opposite sides of the axis; the mutual distance is 
— 2 55 [ J -, but as this value is very variable, the rather regular quincunx often disappears. 
The smooth spines are triangular with a vertical distal side; the short spines are knob-shaped. 
On the slender top of the branches (fig. 103, b) the spines are somewhat irregular in contour; 
on the stem there are still regular longitudinal rows, 4 in number. 
The polyps are almost entirely lacking; on one single branch there are rests of a polyp 
visible, the tentacles of which are very like the most distal polyp of Parantipathes coMmnaris ; 
the pairs of tentacles are far apart; length of the tentacles 525 y.; the 
distance between the sagittal and lateral pair of tentacles is 1 mm., 
and 1.75 mm. between the lateral pairs of neighbouring polyps. There 
are indications of a rather elongated oral cone, the transversal basal 
diameter of which is over 0.75 mm. 
On the stem there are also some polyps (fig. 104), with a 
high domeshaped oral cone with an almost round mouth, and a 
diameter of 525 y. and a height of 225 y.. The tentacles are thick 
and knob-shaped. These polyps are still rather elongated in a trans¬ 
versal direction; often the oral cone has a greater diameter in its top-part than on half of 
its height. — Generally the tentacles are of a more heavy built than in Parantipathes 
8_@o 6 
Fig. 104. Paratitipathes laricides 
a , b Polyps on the stem; b 14 X- 
One of the lateral tentacles in b 
could not be made out. 
