166 A. E. Verrill — JBermudian and West Indian Reef Corals. 



The most remarkable specimen that I have studied is now figured 

 (pi. xxxii, fig. 1). It is preserved in the Museum of Yale University. 



In most parts it is a typical specimen of variety pahnata. But 

 growing out of the upper side of one of its palmate fronds there is a 

 cluster of typical branches of the variety prolifera. The two forms 

 are in perfect continuity and there is no evidence of injury or other 

 physical cause for this abrupt alteration in the character of the 

 groAvth at this particular place. No. 6621. 



Many specimens of var. pahnata have the distal ends of some of 

 the fronds divided into digitate branches of variety prolifera, but 

 in such cases the change is gradual. Such subvarieties may he 

 designated as pahnato-prolifera, for convenience. 



Var. pahnata, when growing vigorously, often produces small, 

 ascending, or incipient branchlets over the whole or part of its upper 

 surface, which is then very uneven. Some of these branchlets some- 

 times become 75 to 100 mra long, and agree with prolifera. The large 

 specimen from the Bahamas, in the American Museum, figured by 

 Whitfield (op. cit.) is one of this kind. I have named this sub- 

 variety, surculo-pahnata. 31. cornuta D. and M. seems to have been 

 based on a specimen of this kind. 



Specimens intermediate between variety cervicoriii* and variety 

 prolifera are to be found in many American collections, but I have 

 never seen specimens clearly intermediate between palmata and cer- 

 vicomis, though such probably exist. They seem to be the extremes 

 of the variations in form. 



Variety flabellum grows like pahnata, but forms much thinner 

 fronds than usual. 



Many specimens occur, especially in the Bahamas, intermediate 

 between flabellum and prolifera. In some of these there may be 

 on one side of the same clump, broad frondlike branches of the 

 flabelliform type, while on the other side digitate clusters of pro- 

 lifera may occur ; or a flabelliform branch may end in free digita- 

 tions ; or free branches, proxinially of the prolifera form, may. 

 farther out, coalesce into a flat frond, and distally may again split 

 up into prolifera branchlets. The American Museum, New York. 

 has a good series of such intermediate forms, from the Bahamas, 

 (coll. R. P. Whitfield). 



For these intermediate forms, i use the name flabetto-prolifera. 



