Lepralia. Z. ASCIDIOIDA. 279 



Crust spreading, rather thick, adherent, even, often roughened in 

 the centre, greyish -white, dull, the space between the cells closely 

 punctured like the end of a thimble ; cells immersed, cylindraceous 

 or somewhat ventricose, arranged in regular rows divided by a raised 

 line very obvious in recent specimens, the apertures roundish or se- 

 mioval, plain or with a small tooth on the upper edge, and in some 

 cells two short blunt teeth are visible on the upper lip. Opercu- 

 la pearly, globular, smooth. When dry the crust can in some in- 

 stances be separated from its foreign base in small pieces, but in ge- 

 neral it is very firmly adherent, and has a decided tendency to grow 

 in a circular form. In a very fine specimen which Mr Bean submit- 

 ted to my examination, the space between the cells was not punctur- 

 ed, but merelv rough or frosted, which I attribute rather to accident, 

 or to a difference produced in drying, than to any specific character in 

 the zoophyte. 



* * Margin of the aperture spinous. 

 4. L. CI LI ATA, cells ovato-glohose, frosted, the aperture con- 

 tracted, circular, armed with from 5 to 1 long spines. Pallas. 



Plate xxxiv. Fig. 6. 



Eschara ciliata, Pall. Elench. 38 Cellepora ciliata, Lin. Syst. 1286. 



Fabric. Faun. Groenl. 434. Bosc, Vers, iii. 147. Corall. 41 



Berenicea utriculata, Flem. Br. Anim. 533. Johnston in Trans. Newc. 

 Soc. ii. 268, pi 12, fig. 6, (not good.) 



Hah. On shells and stones from deep water, common. 



The crust is always white, spreading circularly, thin and closely 

 adherent, so that it cannot be removed entire from its foreign base. 

 " The cells appear as unconnected though adjacent," and their aper- 

 tures look upwards. The aperture is encircled, for about two-thirds 

 of its circumference, with from 3 to 7 spines almost as long as the cell 

 itself, but they are of unequal lengths, and are so easily broken off 

 that it is rare to find them perfect (very often no vestige of them is 

 visible) excepting near the margin of the crust, or when this lies 

 protected by some inequality of the surface which it grows upon. 



I have seen many specimens of this species in the form of a calca- 

 reous compressed mass hispid on both sides with the teeth of the 

 cells, which were aggregated in a double layer. These masses re- 

 semble some specimens of Cellepora pumicosa, or rather of Mem- 

 branipora pilosa, and are proof that the distinctions between the ge- 

 nera are but of secondary importance, as Blainville has properly re- 

 marked. 



