Eudendrium kirkpatricki Watson, 1985

Stems unfascicled, main stem straight, perisarc smooth, shining, obscurely annulated at intervals.

Branches irregularly alternate, more or less in one plane, upwardly directed, some secondary branching present; branches with a few proximal annulations, widening a little distally.

Hydranths small.

Female gonophores borne on all except distal parts of colony, 3-6 in various stages of development tightly clustered around a hydranth, spadix of immature gonophore unbranched. Mature blastostyle devoid of tentacles, the egg-shaped gonophores remaining clustered in their original positions on blastostyle. Male gonophores borne in a verticil below a fully developed hydranth, 2-chambered and bead-shaped at maturity.

Nematocysts: microbasic euryteles of two sizes present, few discharged:

— Small microbasic euryteles, capsule 7 x 3-4 µm, very abundant on tentacles.

— Larger microbasic euryteles, capsule bean-shaped, 29-30 x 13-15 µm, shaft (seen through wall of capsule), approximately 22 µm long, with a very long, coiled thread. Moderately abundant around hypostome.

Colour: The colonies cream-coloured or yellow in life and male gonophores deep pink or red.