46 FUNGIA. 



quite regular. Columella elongated, convex, composed of transverse or 

 irregular twisted lamellae. 



Height 2 to 3 cm. Diameter of calicle about 1 cm. 



Oflf Havana, in 270 fathoms. 



Family FUNGID^ Dana. 



Tliis family has few representatives in the Atlantic basin, and most 

 of them belong to the subfamily of Lophoserinae M.-Edw. & H. In 

 the littoral and reef zone all the species are compound ; from deep 

 water the dredge has brought up three small, simple sj)ecies, the first 

 simple Fungidie found in these seas. 



Fungia symmetrica Pourt. 

 Plate VII., figs. 5 and 6, 



Corallum circular, plano-convex. Wall perfectly plane, with very 

 small convex umbilicus in the middle, very little j^erforated. CostiB 

 distinct to the centre ; corresponding to the septa, finely spinous and 

 granulated, particularly towards the border, subequal, primaries and 

 secondaries slightly larger. Septa subequal, spinous, larger ones some- 

 what lobed, in six regular systems and four complete cycles. The septa 



of the fourth cycle connected by their inner edge with those of the. 

 third, and the latter with those of the second ; the points of connec- 

 tion sometimes expanded into a kind of membrane. The primary septa 

 reach the centre without lateral connection. Columella rudimentarv, 

 sometimes covered with a membranous expansion, through wdiich some 

 of the spines project. The synapticules are large, rather deeply 

 seated, and correspond to each other in the contiguous chambers, so as 

 to form from four to six more or less reg-ular concentric circles. 

 Diameter of larger specimen 1 cm., of smaller 7 mm. 



Off Cojima, Cuba, in 450 fathoms. 

 Off Carysfort Reef, in 350 fathoms. 



This coral resembles Cijcloseris hexagonaUs very much, but the per- 

 forations of the wall and the echinulated costaB separate it apparently 

 from that genus. I am, however, inclined to doubt the generic value 

 of those characters, as the younger of the two specimens shows them in 

 so small a degree that they would generally escape notice. If found 

 in a sea where larger Fungise were common, these specimens would 

 naturally be considered as the young of one of them. 



