2. Cactogorgia simpsoni n. sp. (Plate XV, Fig. 6: Plate XXVII, Fig. 3). 
Stat. 289. 9 0 c/.3 S., 126° 24/. 5 E. 1 12 M. Mud, sand and shells. 1 Ex. 
A colony, growing on a stone, from Station 289, shows characters agreeing with none 
of the four previously described species of this genus. The deeply furrowed, bent stem, with a 
diameter of 9 mm., rises to a height of 3.7 cm. It is thickly covered with longitudinally arranged 
colourless spicules, all spindles, up to 2.5 mm. in length and 0.35 mm. in breadth, covered with 
large compound warts. It expands at the summit to form a slightly convex polyp-bearing head, 
1.5 cm in diameter, which is covered with closely adjacent verrucse, up to 2.3 mm. high, and 
4 mm. in diameter, with their walls strongly armed with upward sloping spindles. 
The anthocodise are almost all retracted within the verrucse. They show a well-developed 
armature — a deep crown of up to about fifteen rows of transversely arranged spindles, and 
above this eight points which show considerable irregularity in the size, number and arrange¬ 
ment of the spicules. There frequently occur two dominant pairs of chevroned spindles, up to 
1.4 mm. in length and 0.05 mm. in breadth, with a pair of much slighter and smaller chevroned 
spindles included at the base, and occasionally with one to three outer laterals lying alongside. 
In addition to this type of point there are other points of a very different appearance, some¬ 
times occurring on the same polyp. They show three to five pairs of more irregularly disposed 
and much less massive chevroned spindles. All these anthocodial spindles are covered with 
fine, simple prominences. 
The tentacles, which are found in various sta&es of contraction, some fully contracted 
* 
within the polyp, are densely armoured with small, slightly roughened or frayed rodlets, which 
tend to arrange in chevron towards the base of the tentacle, where they are about 0.3 — 0.5 mm., 
but become very much smaller and more densely packed in a longitudinal arrangement towards 
the tip. The pinnules are also thickly covered with very minute rodlets arranged transversely. 
Lining the verrucse, continued from the base of the retracted polyp, is a thin layer in 
which lie numerous small, scale-like, orange-coloured spicules, longitudinally disposed in eight 
longitudinal bands or zones. These are vertically ridged when the verruca is closed. The majority 
of the small sclerites are like smooth dumb-bells, with a decided waist. (Common dimensions 
» 
are 0.09 X 0.05 mm.). These lead on to slightly larger and rougher dumb-bell forms with a 
few simple low prominences (o. 1 1 X 0.05 mm.). Very small young stages are also seen with the 
waist less marked. In addition, and on a somewhat different line of development, there are longer, 
narrower types, like finger-biscuits (0.14 x0.03 mm.). 
The canal walls are densely filled with spindles, covered with small, simple spines. 
Common dimensions are 1.4 mm. X o. 1 6 mm. 
The colour is a dirty white with the edges of the verrucae orange. The colour of the 
colony figured (Plate XV, fig. 8) has come out somewhat too pronouncedly brown. 
As regards anthocodial armature 
C. celosioides is marked by points with one pair of dominant chevroned spicules, and by 7—10 
rows of horizontals; 
C. expansa is marked by points of 6—8 pairs of chevroned spicules, and by 8 rows of horizontals ; 
