DESCRIPTIONS OF THE ALCYONARIA COLLECTED 
BY THE U. S. BUREAU OF FISHERIES STEAMER 
ALBATROSS IN THE VICINITY OF THE HAWAIIAN 
ISLANDS IN 1902. 
By Craries C. Nutrine, 
Professor of Zoology, State University of Iowa, Iowa City. 
INTRODUCTION. 
The Hawaiian region appears to be a virgin field, so far as Alcyo- 
naria are concerned, as the writer has been unable to find a single 
reference, in the rather extensive literature consulted, indicating that: 
any alecyonarians whatever have been reported from this region. 
This fact, together with the extraordinary isolation of these islands 
from any large land mass, makes the material discussed in the follow- 
ing report of unusual interest, both from the number of new forms in- 
cluded and from the standpoint of zodgeography. 
Considering the length of time since the discovery of the Hawaiian 
_ Islands, and the number of European and American residents and vis- 
itors, it is somewhat surprising that nothing has heretofore been re- 
ported regarding the very rich alcyonarian fauna. This is doubtless 
due, in part, to the fact that this group of animals has but little recog- 
nized economic importance, and more particularly to the almost total 
lack of dredging operations in this region. A few hauls, it is true, 
were taken by the Challenger in the vicinity of the Hawauan group, 
but there is no mention of any Aleyonaria being secured. 
Of the 68 species brought to light by the cruise of the U. S. Bureau 
of Fisheries steamer Albatross in 1902, 39 are new and 29 have been 
reported from other localities, giving a proportion of 57 per cent of 
new species. Of the three orders of Alcyonaria discussed, the first, the 
Alcyonacea is most meagerly represented by 5 species. The second 
order, the Pennatulacea, is well represented by 16 species, while the 
remaining 47 species belong, as would be expected, to the great and 
widely distributed order Gorgonacea. 
The paucity of Alcyonacea was to be expected from the fact that 
this order is largely arctic in its distribution, although certain special 
groups are very abundant in the Australian region. It is interesting 
PROCEEDINGS U. S. NATIONAL Museum, VOL. XXXIV—No. 1624. 
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