I 20 
very short; supporting bundle strong; point spicules one strong pair; pseudo-crown of 3—4 
rows of straight rough spindles; grade VI.; spicules: sterile stalk has large rough yellowish 
spindles along with small red interlocking forms; no spicules found in the canal-walls. 
Anthocodial Grade and Formula: 
VI = 2 P -F 3 — 4 Cr -F strong S. B. 
Descriptive Notes : 
Colony as a whole. Two colonies, the larger 17 cm. in height, including the 3.5 cm. 
sterile stalk, by 10 cm. in breadth. 
Branching. Divaricate, quite irregular in contour, markedly flattened. The lower branches 
are somewhat foliaceous, but do not form a collar. It ought to be referred to the cervicornis- 
group of Kukenthal's Divaricatae, and to the subdivision with short polyp stalks; but it does 
not agree with any of the three species there included, nor with any other Divaricate appro¬ 
aching this group. Each of the half-dozen main branches ramifies irregularly in a flabellate 
fashion, but there tends to be a predominance of secondary branches to one side. The surface 
is richly beset with small, almost sessile bundles of polyps, which also occur all over the 
cortex. These small bundles may, of course, be young stages of twigs. 
Colouring. Predominantly of a brilliant red. The cortex is vividly coloured except at 
the beginning of the polyparium, where it is almost white. On the branches and twigs all the 
spicules are deep red. 
Polyp stalks very short. A somewhat marked feature is the small number (3 — 6) of 
polyps in each bundle and the frequency of isolated single polyps. 
Polyp spicules. The anthocodial armature consists of eight strong points, each composed 
of two rough hockey-club spicules rising from a strongly-developed pseudo-crown of 3 — 4 
practically horizontal rough spindles. In many cases the non-retracted state of the polyp brings 
the pseudo-crown spicules into a chevron arrangement in line with the uppermost pair. Between 
every two points there are usually two intermediates. On the whole the anthocodial armature 
is nearest that of D. circium. The anthocodial spicules are almost white, but show a faint 
yellowish tinge. They are characteristically rough, with relatively large, very blunt tubercles, 
not densely crowded. 
The supporting bundle is well developed and inclined to be of the sheath type, showing 
3 spindles much larger than the rest — that is to say, a median and two laterals, abutted by 
numerous smaller ones, which show a tendency to be in parallel lines sloping towards the main 
spicules. The median spindle usualjy projects for about 0.5 mm., and the two laterals sometimes 
project a very little. The supporting sheath spicules are often curved and are densely covered 
with short, rounded tubercles. 
Other spicules. On the sterile stalk are large, broad, rough, yellowish spindles, connected 
by small interlocking irregular reddish forms, which produce an arenaceous appearance. The cortex 
here bears a variety of spicules, all thickly covered with rather massive, blunt, rough tubercles, 
sometimes compound and well suited for interlocking. They include the following forms : (a) long 
stout spindles, slightly curved; ( b ) spindles expanding at one end in a pseudo-club fashion; ( c ) a 
few large triradiates ; ( d ) numerous irregular triradiates ; ( e ) smaller triradiates with a rough boss 
rising at right angles to the rays ; (/) long-armed quadriradiates ; (g) knobbed spherical “astroscleres”. 
