A. E. Verrill — Bermudian and West Indian Beef Corals. 141 



Much confusion has always existed as to the number and charac- 

 ters of the species included in this group. Gregory and Vaughan, 

 among recent writers, have gone too far in uniting diverse species, 

 so as to reduce the number of American species to two or three only. 

 Gregory (op. cit., pp. 279, 280) united with agaricites, not only cris- 

 tata, but also undata (E. and S.); purpurea Les. ; gibbosa T>. ; Les- 

 soni D. and M.; vesparium D. and M. ; and even " A. arthrophylla " 

 Horn.* (i. e. anthophyttum), which has no resemblance to agaricites 

 and belongs to Pachyseris. Probably some of the other species that 

 he lumped together, perhaps rather hastily, may also be distinct. 



Vaughan (op. cit., 1901) followed Gregory pretty closely, but was 

 inclined to keep fragilis and elephantotits separate, and he was doubt- 

 ful about anthophyllum . But under agaricites he puts Lamarchi, 

 Danai (D. and M.), and with doubt, Sancti-JoJuumis D. and M. 

 He has studied the types of Danai D. and M.; Lessoni; and vespa- 

 rium at Turin, and his opinion is important as to these. But the 

 Danai and Sancti-Joliannis are referred to the elephantotus-fragilis 

 group by Gregory. 



This genus is almost exclusively West Indian, but A. Forskatti 

 Edw. and H. is a fossil from the recent deposits of the Red Sea. 

 Quelch (Voy. Chall., xvi, p. 118) described Agaricia regidaris from 

 Levuka I. In the Indo-Pacific fauna it is mostly replaced by 

 Pavonia and Pachyseris, with numerous species. 



would be synonymous. But Edw. and Haime refer the M. cristata of Ellis and 

 Sol. to Lophoseris (op. cit., p. 66), which is synonymous with Pavonia of 

 authors. So the reference, first named, is doubtless an error. On the same 

 page " Madrepora agaricites Dana" is quoted, by error. The original definition 

 of Parona would apply equally to that genus and to some species of Aganricia, 

 like A. agaricites. Agaricia was then separated wholly on account of the 

 unifacial coral — a character of minor importance. 



* Pachyseris anthophyllum (Horn, 1860) Ver. The type of this species was 

 studied by me in the Philadelphia Acad. Nat. Science a number of years ago. 

 It is a typical Pachyseris, closely allied to P. monticulosa Ver., and is doubtless 

 of Indo-Pacific origin, like all the related species. The surface is covered with 

 lobes and monticules, much as in certain examples of all the other species. The 

 septa are laterally covered with numerous close and prominent, rough or 

 crisped, flat or irregular granulations, which fill up much of the space between 

 them, the granulations being often nearly in contact across the interseptal 

 spaces, giving the septa a crowded and thickened appearance, though the septa 

 themselves are rather thin for the genus, and alternately unequal. The ridges 

 or collines are somewhat irregular, obtusely rounded, or somewhat angular, not 

 very elevated, nor very close together. The calicinal centers are indistinct. 

 The calicinal groove is narrow and deep, and contains a columella-lamella of 

 variable thickness. The under surface of the frond is finely and regularly 

 costulate. 



