Description of a new species of Alcyonoid polyp

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[From the San Francisco ‘‘ Mining and Scientific Press,’ August 9, 1873.]

Description of a New Species of Alcyonoid Polyp.
BY ROBERT E. C. STEARNS.

At a meeting of the California Academy of Sciences, held on the third day of
February, 1873, a paper was read by me, entitled “ Remarks on a New Alcyo-
noid Polyp, from Burrard’s Inlet;” * in which I gave a resumé of the discus-
sions, notices, ete., in this country and in England, arising from the examination
by several naturalists, of certain “switch’-like forms, which had been received
by different parties from the Gulf of Georgia (more particularly from Burrard’s
Inlet, in said gulf); several specimens of said “ switches” being in the Museuin
of the California Academy.

. These “ switches,” or rods, were referred by Dr. Gray, of the British Museum,
to his genus “ Osteocella,” and by Mr. Sclater’s correspondent stated to belong to
“a sort of fish ;” but by the majority of scientific gentlemen who had seen these
“switches” they were regarded as belonging to a species of Alcyonoid Polyp.
I expressed the belief that they belonged to a species of Umbellularia.

Ata meeting of the California Academy, held on the evening of August 4,
1873, Dr. James Blake presented a specimen of the polyp of which these so-
called switches are the axes, which had been sent to him from the Gulf of
Georgia by his friend, Capt. Doane. This specimen was one of six or seven
sent at the same time, all of which were in a tolerable state of preservation,
though, as might have been anticipated, the more delicate tissues of the polyps
are somewhat decomposed, and some of the specimens are in some places lacer-
ated. They all are, however, sufficiently perfect to determine the true position,
and show that the “switches” are, as was supposed, the supporting stalks or
axes of an Alcyonoid Polyp “ related or pertaining to the group Pennatulide.”

On the day after the meeting of the Academy (August 5), through the court-
esy of Dr. Blake, I was invited to inspect the other specimens, and from said
examination have written the following description :

Genus Pavonarta, Cuvier.

Pavonaria Blakei; n. s.

Polyp-mass or polypidom, of a flesh or pink color, linear, elongate, attenuate ;
polypiferous portion about three fourths of the entire length, rounded oval to
ovate elliptic in cross section, and from three fourths to one inch in greatest di-

* Vide Proceed. Cal. Acad. Sciences, Vol. V., Part I., pp. 7-12.

2

ameter, flatly tapering toward the tip, as well as decreasing in the opposite
direction to where the polypiferous rows terminate or become obsolete. From
this latter point to the beginning of the base or root, a portion of the polypi-
dom, equal to about one sixth of its entire length, is quite slender, being only
about twice the diameter of the naked axis, and the surface quite smooth ; said
portion, as well as the base, is round (in cross section) ; the basal part is from
one ninth to one eleventh of the entire length, and about one inch in diameter,
with the surface longitudinally wrinkled or contracted, presenting a ridged or
fibrous appearance.

Style or axis long, slender, white, hard, bony, somewhat polished, about three
sixteenths (3-16) of an inch in diameter in the thickest part, tapering gradually
toward the tip, and attenuated, with surface somewhat roughened toward the
basal extremity. Inclosed in the polyp-mass or polypidom, the axis is central
from the base to where the polyp-rows begin, when it soon becomes marginal or
lateral, forming a prominent rounded edge (free from polyps) on one side of the
polypiferous portion of the whole. From near the sides of the axial edge the
polyp-rows start, and run obliquely upward to the opposite side, where they
nearly or quite meet, presenting, when that side is observed from above, a con-
centric chevron or A-like arrangement. The more conspicuous polyp-rows
show from nine to fourteen polyps, with occasional intermediate rows of three
or more polyps.

The length of the most perfect of Dr. Blake’s specimens was sixty-six (66)
inches ; of which, commencing at the tip, a length of forty-eight and a quarter
(4814) inches was occupied by the polyp-rows, which numbered two hundred
and forty-five (245), or twice that number when both sides or arms of the chev-
ron or A are considered. The number of polyps in each row was, in this speci-
men, from eight (8) to eleven (11), with occasional intermediate shorter rows of
from three (3) to seven (7). Hstimating ten to the row, this specimen exhibited
about five thousand polyps, all of which, as well as the polyps in the other speci-
mens, were filled with diminutive ova, of an orange color. In the next section
of this specimen, the length between the last polyp-row and ihe swell of the base
or root, is eleven and one quarter (1114) inches ; thence to the termination of the
base, six (6) inches.

The average dimensions of thirty-six (36) of the axes in the Museum of the
California Academy is five feet six and one third inches in length, and the diam-
eter or the largest, nine thirty-seconds of an inch; diameter of smallest speci-
men, one sixteenth of an inch.

In connection with the above description, some allowance should be made for
the contraction and injury of the tissues by the alcohol in which the specimens
were placed after they reached this city.

Additional specimens of the above species, from the same locality, have been
received from J 8. Lawson, Esq., U.S. Coast Survey, by George Davidson,
Ksq., President of the Academy.

9
9)

Appenpa.—Of the specimens received from Mr. Lawson, some individuals
are younger than either of Dr. Blake’s. In these the polyp-rows are farther
apart, and there are not so many polyps in the row ; neither do the ends of the
rows approximate so closely on the side opposite the axial edge ; the polyps being
not nearly so many in the same length, or presenting (as do some of Dr. Blake's
specimens) so crowded an.appearance. In cross-section through the polypiferous
portions, the younger individuals are less ovate or acutely oval than in the older
specimens. The general aspect of this species. judging from the figure in Plate
XXXI. of Johnson’s British Zoophytes (2d ed.), is like P. quadrangularis from
Oban.

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