no. 1624. DESCRIPTIONS OF HAWAIIAN ALCYONARIA—NUTTING. 595 
polyps so that their form is difficult to ascertain.. They do not 
appear to be retractile. : 
Spicules long or needle-like, or bar-shaped, sometimes slightly 
branched; arranged vertically in body walls, where they are thickly 
packed, and distally forming eight broad longitudinal bands ending 
at points between the tentacle bases. The tentacular spicules are 
longitudinal. 
Zooids are rather sparsely scattered over the upper sides of the 
branches. — 
Type.—Cat. No. 25359, U.S.N.M., Albatross Station 4019, near 
Kauai Islands, 405-550 fathoms. 
The close helix into which the stem is coiled, together with the 
very stiff and wiry texture, are the chief diagnostic features of this 
species. 
IRIDOGORGIA SUPERBA, new species. 
Plate XLVI, fig. 5; plate L, fig. 2. 
Two pieces of an incomplete specimen measured, together, 5 feet 
4 inch. Main stem stout, brittle, straight on all but distal portion 
where it becomes wavy; its whole length marked by the regular 
branch origins arranged in a spiral, or helix. In the proximal part 
each turn of the helix, measured vertically, is 17 mm., in the distal part 
itis 24mm. The adjacent branch origins are2to3mm.apart. There 
are a few scattered polyps on the stem. The branches are slender, un- 
branched and gracefully curved, 125 to 175 mm. in length. 
Polyps unilateral in arrangement, on the upper sides of the 
branches, 5 to 6 mm. apart, arising from a long swelling basal por- 
tion which is parallel to the axis of the stem. Above this swelling the 
body is short and stout, bearing very long, nonretractile tentacles. 
Length of basal swelling, 24 mm.; height, 1 mm. Diameter of body 
above basal swelling, 14 mm.; height, 1 mm.; length of longest ten- 
tacle (in alcohol), 6 mm. 
Zooids are distributed in groups along the branches, sometimes 
being aggregated near the polyp bases. 
The spicules are remarkably uniform in size and shape, being in 
the form of rather slender smooth bars with rounded ends, somewhat 
constricted in the middle. They are found longitudinally disposed 
in ‘the cortex of the branches, and transversely disposed in the ex- 
panded bases of the polyps. The remainder of the polyps and the 
tentacles appear to be without spicules. 
The color of the main stem is grayish yellow; branches and polyps 
bright corn yellow. The iridescence of the exposed axis is brilliant 
green. 
Type.—Cat. No. 2°316, U.S.N.M., Albatross Station 3989, off Kauai, 
385-500 fathoms. 
