Octocorallia from North-Western Madagascar (Part II)

INTRODUCTION In the preface of the first part of the series "Octocorallia from northwestern Madagascar" (Verseveldt, 1969) I mentioned that Dr. Arthur G. Humes, Boston University, Massachusetts, U.S.A., made a rich collection of octocorals from the waters north-west of Madagascar, and that he kindly entrusted this material to me for study and report. This second part deals with a large number of these octocorals, belonging to the orders Telestacea, Alcyonacea and Gorgonacea (suborder Scleraxonia). The majority of the specimens reported upon are now in the Rijksmuseum van Natuurlijke Historie, Leiden ; their register numbers are preceded by the abbreviation RMNH. A few specimens collected by Dr. J. H. Stock now form part of the collection of the Zoölogisch Museum, Amsterdam; their register numbers are preceded by the abbreviation ZMA. I want to express my sincere gratitude to Mr. G. J. Vrijmoeth for making the excellent photographs, and to Mr. W. ter Spill for revising my manuscript. Both friends of mine have so often given evidence of their interest in my work that I am happy to name two new species described in this paper after them. LIST OF THE SPECIES Order Telestacea Hickson, 1930b Family Telestidae Milne Edwards & Haime, 1857. — 1. Telesto arborea Wright & Studer, 1889; 2. Coelogorgia palmosa Milne Edwards & Haime, 1857. Order Alcyonacea Lamouroux, 1816 Family Alcyoniidae Lamouroux, 1812. — 3. Alcyonium flaccidum Tixier-Durivault, 1966; 4. Alcyonium flaccidum aberrans nov. subspec.; 5. Alcyonium utinomii nov. spec;