NO. 1 DURHAM, BARNARD: EASTERN PACIFIC STONY CORALS 21 



The branchlets are short and lacerately or digitately divided and lobed 

 at the ends, the subdivisions small, variously shaped, often slender, but 

 generally more or less compressed and obtuse at the tips, often having 

 the appearance of elongated verrucae, w^hile the lateral branchlets pass 

 gradually into the verrucae, which are few, irregular, and distantly 

 scattered on the larger branches. Lateral cells rather large, round, rather 

 distant, often shallow; septa mostly 12, narrow, usually subequal, some- 

 times one is larger, often all are rudimentary or wanting. Columella 

 rudimentary or wholly abortive. Coenenchyma abundant between the 

 cells, firm, the surface finely and evenly spinulose. 



"The larger specimens are 6 to 8 inches in diameter and height; 

 the large branches .30 to .50 in diameter; and 2 to 6 long; the terminal 

 branchlets mostly .10 to .30 long; .10 to .15 in diameter; the cells .03 

 to .04 of an inch in diameter. 



"In life according to Mr. Bradley, the polyps are small, exsert, with 

 twelve equal cylindrical tentacles, which are swollen at the tips; they 

 are about equal in length to the diameter of the body, and they are 

 arranged in a single circle around the margin, but six are held hori- 

 zontally and six upright in expansion. The color of the polyps is dark 

 brown, greenish brown, or dark green; tentacles dark brown, the tips 

 white. 



"In arrangement and form of tentacles this species closely resembles 

 the accompanying Porites {P. Panamensis), which also has twelve 

 cylindrical, light brown tentacles, with white tips, but the tips are not 

 perceptibly swollen, and they are not held alternately upright and hori- 

 zontally, as in PociUipora. ' — F.H.B. 



"Pearl Islands, Panama, and Acajutla, — F. H. Bradley. 'In more 

 sheltered situations near the head of Panama Bay, this coral covers con- 

 siderable surfaces, but further out it seems to be confined to sheltered 

 spots, and occurs in scattered clumps. '—F.H.B. 



"This species forms loose open clumps of rather slender and irregular 

 branches, quite unlike those of the preceding species in appearance." 



Intercalicular spinules tall, varying from pointed to flattened. This 

 species is rather closely related to P. damicornis (Linnaeus), and is 

 possibly one of its many variable forms. P. lacera is separated from the 

 Eastern Pacific P. damicornis var. cespitosa by the longer, more slender, 

 tapered branches, and their more finely divided verruciform tips. 



Vaughan (1906), p. 1, reports this form from Panama Bay, between 

 tides and to 1 fm. 



Hypotype: Cat. no. 4.1 (Sta. 201-34). 



