CARYOPHYLLIACEA. OCULlNADuE. 



THE TUFT-CORAL. 



Lophohelia prolifera. 

 Plate X. Fig. 1 {reduced). 



Specific Character. Corallites cylindrical. 



Madrcpora prolifera. Linn. Syst. Nat. Ed. 12, 1281. Ellis and 



Solander, Zoopb. pi. xxxii. figs. 2 — 5. 



Esper, Pflanz. i. 104; Madr. pi. xi. 

 Lithodendron proliferum. Schweigger, Handb. der Nat. 41 b'. 

 Ocidina prolifera. Lamarck, An. s. verteb. ii. 286. Lamour. 



Exp. rndth. 04 ; pi. xxxii. figs. 2 — 5. 



Dana, Zoopb. 393. 

 Lophohelia prolifera. M. Edw. and Haime, Ann. des Sci. Nat. Ser. 3. 



xiii. 81. M. Edw. Hist. Corall. ii. 117. 



GENERAL DESCRIPTION. 



Corallum. Forming a massive, compact, many-brancbed. tree, rising 

 from a slender base, permanently attacbed to rocks. 



Corallites. Free laterally, iu general budding only once or twice, 

 cylindrical, or but sligbtly expanding at tbe summit, moderately long. 

 Exterior surface covered witb very minute close-set granules, without ribs, 

 except very faint marginal traces. The margin is often surrounded by a 

 thin lamellar expansion. 



Plates. Systems generally unequal and irregular, being formed of 

 seven, or five, or three derived plates, but easily recognisable by following 

 the development of the primaries, which are far greater than the others. 

 The plates themselves are thick in the centre and towards the margin, but 

 are thinned off to a sharp edge, which is irregular in outline, but not 

 notched; their surfaces covered with minute granules. The principal 

 ones, from eight to twelve in number, are stouter and far more salient 

 than the rest. 



Walls. Very thick and dense, gradually filling up the bottom of the 

 cavities. 



Size. 



The individual corallites are from one-fourth to half an inch in height 

 and diameter. The dimensions of the compound mass vary according to 



