History of British animals - University of Guam Marine Laboratory

Cliona. ZOOPHYTA. CORALLINAD.E. 517and are connected internally with ramified canals, in the vicinity of whichsmall yellow ova make their appearance in March and April the ; papillaeeject a current of water the ; marginal polypi are long, slender, and transparent,and their broad tentacula are slightlydilated at the extremities.Gen. XL. ALCYONIUM.—Circle of tentacula complete;fleshy bases, arborescent, investing or adnate, and regularlycovered with polypiferous papilla?.— Marine.86. A. gclatinosum.— Sea-ragged staff or grain. Arborescent,the polypi with 12 equal tentacula.Fucus spongiosus nodosus, Ray. Syn. St. p. 49. Ellis, Cor. p. 87. t. xxxii.f. d. D Al. molle, ramosum, Bast. Op. Sub. i. p. 25. t. i. f. v. — A. gel.Mull. Zool. Dan. t. cxlvii. f. 1-4—Not uncommon in deep water.Body adheres by a narrow base to stones and shells, in from 5 to 20 fathomswater, ascending and subdividing irregularly into rounded branches,with subacute terminations ;the surface is covered with minute, rounded tubercles,having pale, perforated, quadrisulcated summits, from which issuepolypi, inversely bell-shaped, with 12 equal tentacula ;internally, it is subcellular,with scattered round black bodies, which are probably the eggs.The whole is greenish, translucent, with a smooth and gelatinous aspect.This species has frequently been claimed by botanists, withoutdue consideration,as a subject of the vegetable kingdom. It is the Fucus gelatinosusof Hudson's Flora Anglica, the Ulva diaphana of Smith's English Botany,and the Alcyonidium diaphanum of Hooker's Flora Scotica.87. A. hlrsutum.— Body investing, the polypiwith from 18to 20 tentacula.Investing fuci, common.This species differs from the preceding in the following particulars. Itgrows in shallower water, among fuci and confervae, while the other is thecompanion of Sertularioe and Flustne. Its growth is irregular, frequentlyanastomosing, surrounding or connecting fuci, sometimes rising into blunt,thinly subdivided, branches. It is of a closer texture, and the surface, beingcovered witb close set conical accuminated papillae, gives it a hairy appearance.The polypi are not protruded so far from the orifice of the papilla?,and the feelers, which are more numerous, are constantly in motion. Somedoubts may be entertained if part of the synonimes prefixed to the precedingspecies do not belong to the hirsutum. The one, however, in the Zool. Dan.is too faithful a representation of the gelaiinoswm to admit of such a suspicion.88. A. ecMnatum.— Body incrusting dead univalve shells ;the polypi with 12 tentacula?.This species incrusts dead univalve shells exclusively; and is about the ^gthof an inch in thickness. When first taken out of the water it is soft andspongy, but becomes rigid on drying the surface ;is closely covered with tubularpapillae about ^th of an inch in length.The late Mr Montagu, in a letter to me, dated 12th July 1811, intimated,in reference to a specimen which I had sent him " The crusts on : shells,which gives them a muricated appearance, is what I have called Alci/oniumcchinatum. I do not know that it has been described or ascertained to be the