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Show 1°99.] CORALS FROM FUNAFUTI. 47 Section SCLERAXONIA. Family SCLEROGORGID^E. KERG3LDES KORENI Wright & Studer. There are numerous fragments of this species, but no complete colony. The spicules are -92 mm.--203 mm. in length, by -27 mm.- •13 mm. The colony is light red iu colour, with yellow polyps. Hab. Outer slope of the reef. Depth 40-90 fathoms. Previously recorded from the neighbourhood of Japan (7). Section HOLAXONIA. Family MURICEID^E. ACAMPTOGORGIA SPIXOSA, n. sp. (Plate I. figs. 3, 4, 5.) There are several fragments of this form, but they are all rather small. The branches are -5 mm. in diameter. The ccenenchyma is fairly thick and very rough. The small branches arise at angles of from 60°-90°. The polyps are borne chiefly on the sides of the branches. They stand out fairly perpendicularly at intervals of about 2 mm. Each branch bears, close to the apex, two opposite polyps which are usually somewhat larger than the others. They are 1-05 mm. in height, by PI mm. across the crown and -64 mm. across the base. The other polyps are *73 mm. X -62 mm., and -55 mm. across the base. Thus the terminal polyps are decidedly larger than the lateral ones. They are cylindrical in shape, somewhat wider across the crown. The operculum forms a low cone ; it consists of the basal spicules of the tentacles, each tentacle having 2 or 3 long pointed spicules which divide into two at, the basal end. They are •36 mm. X '09 mm. (length by breadth), and rest on a sunken collaret of spindles. The polyp spicules are of the three-rayed type with foliaceous expansions from two of the three rays, the third standing perpendicular to the others like a long sharp spike. They are •37 mm. in height by -36 mm. across the foliaceous basal portion. The ccenenchyma spicules are bent spindles with short branched expansions on the convex side, and also smaller forms of the polyp spicules. The spindles are "21 mm. x'11 mm. (length by breadth). The axis is horny, brown, with the central core divided into chambers. The colour of the colony in spirit is light brown. Depth 40-90 fathoms. |