130 
as the more granulated and more heavily built spines of figs. 157, 158, 159^ are all of them 
to be met with among the spines of the great Saleyer-group or are very much like them. The type 
of polyp diverges in a rather high degree from the general type. The tentacles are much shorter 
and more heavily built, sometimes not more than knobs, while the oral cone is basally constricted 
and widens in its upper part, with a larger mouth, which has a definite lip (figs. 159, 160, 
Fig. 157. Stichopathes variabilis n. n. Fig. 158. Stichopathes variabilis n. n. Fig. 159. Stichopathes variabilis n. n. 
Spines: a on the base of a colony; Spines: a on the base of a colony; a Spines; b polyp; a 52 X- 
i on a higher part; a, b 52 X- iona higher part; a, b 52 X- 
161 ). The interpolypar distance is 0.75 — 1.5 mm., while the sagittal tentacles are 0.5 — 1 mm. 
long and the lateral ones 0.35 — 1 mm. On one of the colonies the oral cone has clear broad 
white stripes, separated from each other by narrower grey stripes (fig. 160T) just as is described 
for one of the polyps of the great Saleyer-group. — The cross-grooves between the polyps are 
usually very well visible, while the longitudinal groove on the back of the axis is also very 
Fig. 160. Stichopathes ■variabilis Fig. 161. Stichopathes variabilis n. n. Fig. 162. Stichopathes variabilis n. n. 
n. n. a Polyps; b oral cone; Polyps; 21 X- a Top of a colony with longitudinal groove; b polyp; 
a 14 X- 0 78X; b 21 X- 
conspicuous and ends at a short distance from the top, becoming thinner and thinner (fig. 162). 
Generally these polyps are much more conspicuous than in the general type of the great 
Saleyer-group; they are rather prominent. Sometimes the tentacles lie against each other and 
over the oral cone. — On one of the colonies the polyps in the 
basal part of the colony have the type, described above here 
but in the higher parts of the colony the polyps are more like 
the general type of the great group (cf. fig. 130) ; the tentacles 
are longer, more slender and more transparent, and the entire 
polyp is not so very conspicuous (fig. 162 b). On one of the other 
colonies the polyps are so very low as to be hardly visible on 
the axis. -— Repeatedly young polyps are inserted between the 
adult ones (fig. 1 61 ), sometimes alternating rather regularly with 
them. Remarkable is that on the wall of the oral cone of adult 
polyps sometimes small tentacles are formed, which makes one 
think about the forming of young polyps, as is observed by me with one of the EucirripatJies 
species ( Eucirr . contorta v. P.) -— An other remarkable fact is figured in fig. 163; on the 
Fig. 163. Stichopathes variabilis n. n. 
Lepadide, overgrown by the coenen- 
chyma and polyps, as far as the dotted 
line; 7-6 X- 
