Report on the zoological collections made in the Indo-Pacific Ocean ...

578ALCYONARIA.STUART 0.RIDLEY.The series of Alcyonaria collected in this district is small, but -wouldno doubt, from what has been recorded from Mauritius by otherauthors (e. g. by Studer, Mobius, and myself), have been largely increasedhad time and apparatus for the investigation of depthsexceeding 30 fathoms been available. As will be seen below, theAmirantes and outlying Mascarene localities supply most of thespecies—a circumstance which is satisfactory, inasmuch as (with theexception of the Seychelles Islands, where Dr. E. P. Wright madecollections) the Alcyonaria of this part of the district have beenhitherto practically unknown. Two of the eight species recorded(viz. Sponrfodes studcri, n. sp., and JunceUa c/emmacea) were obtainedby the 'Alert ' in the Austi-alian seas as well ; of the remainder, thespecies of Wrightella are probably confined to the Red Sea and itsneighbourhood. The second new species {Muricea hifurcata) alsoexhibits Australian affinities.Distribution, within that area, of Alcyonaria obtained in the WesternIndian Ocean.,2, 1"! o _S g pFamily ALCYONIID^.1. SpongocTts unicolor, Gray2. studeri, n. sp., var. lisvior3. Nepbthya, sp4. , spFamily PEIMNOID^.5. Muricea hifurcata, n. sp.Family GOEGONELLID^.6. JunceUa gemmacea, M.-Edw. ^ Haime.Family MELITH^IDtE.7. Wrightella chrysan thus, Gray8. coccinea, Gray