Soft coral
Date
1856
Creator
John Denis Macdonald (1826 - 1908) , Naval medical officer
Object type
Archive reference number
Material
Dimensions
height (painting): 306mm
width (painting): 190mm
width (painting): 190mm
Subject
Content object
Description
Marine zoological study of an unidentified Alcyonacea, or soft coral collected in 30 or 40 fathoms of water at Conway Reef, or Ceva-I-Ra, Fijian Islands, in the Pacific Ocean. Seven figures: figure a shows a sprig of zoophyte at natural size and figures b-g show details of the polyp and associated structures under various magnifications.
This specimen was described by the author aboard HMS Herald in April 1856 as the vessel was engaged in survey work around the Fiji islands, part of Melanesia, in the South Pacific. The author, John Denis Macdonald was assistant surgeon on the ship.
Illustration from the manuscript version of the paper “Anatomical description of a species of asteroid polypes probably forming the type of a new genus of Alcyonidae’ by John Denis Macdonald, in Proceedings of the Royal Society of London, vol.8 (1856-1857), pp.417-418.
Signed lower left: ‘J.D.Macdonald ad nat. delt.’ Embossed lower left; ‘TURNBULL SUPERFINE LONDON BOARD’.
Sir John Denis Macdonald was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1859.
This specimen was described by the author aboard HMS Herald in April 1856 as the vessel was engaged in survey work around the Fiji islands, part of Melanesia, in the South Pacific. The author, John Denis Macdonald was assistant surgeon on the ship.
Illustration from the manuscript version of the paper “Anatomical description of a species of asteroid polypes probably forming the type of a new genus of Alcyonidae’ by John Denis Macdonald, in Proceedings of the Royal Society of London, vol.8 (1856-1857), pp.417-418.
Signed lower left: ‘J.D.Macdonald ad nat. delt.’ Embossed lower left; ‘TURNBULL SUPERFINE LONDON BOARD’.
Sir John Denis Macdonald was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1859.
Associated place