SYSTEMATIC DISCUSSION OF THE SPECIES. 



Class ANTHOZOA. 



Subclass ZOANTHARIA Milne Edwards and Haime. 



Order HEXACORALLA Haeckel. 



MADREPORARIA IMPERFORATA. 



Family SERIATOPORLDjE Milne Edwards and Haime. 



1849. Seriatoporida Milne Edwards and Haime, Acad. Sci., Comptes rend., vol. 29, p. 262. 

 1869. Pocilloporida Verrill, Proc. Essex Inst., vol. 6, p. 90. 



As I see no valid reason for referring Seriatopora and Pocillopora to different 

 families, these genera are placed in the Seriatoporidae, a name twenty years older 

 than Verrill's Pocilloporidae. While seriously doubting the propriety of placing 

 Stylophora in a separate family, as the similarity between it and Seriatopora is 

 great, I adhere to the traditional usage. 



Genus SERIATOPORA Lamarck. 



1816. Seriatopora Lamarck, Hist. nat. Anim. sans Vert., vol. 2, p. 282. 



1849. Seriatopora Milne Edwards and Haime, Acad. Sci., Comptes rend., vol. 29, p. 262. 



Type species: Seriatopora subulata Lamarck. 



Unfortunately this species, the type of the genus, has not been figured or 

 adequately described. As the type specimen of the species is in the Museum 

 d'Histoire Naturelle in Paris, it is hoped that these desiderata may be supplied. 



Seriatopora hystrix Dana. 



Plate 20, figures I, \a, lb, If, of specimen from Murray Island; figures 2, 2a, of Dana's type. Also plate 2, figure 4, 



of Dr. Mayer's article. 



1846. Seriatopora hystrix Dana, U. S. Expl. Exped., Zooph., p. 521, plate 19, figs. 3, 3a, 3*. 

 1907. Seriatopora hystrix Bedot, Madreporaires d'Amboine, p. 154, plate 7, figs. 18-22. 



The following notes are based on specimen No. 346, U. S. National Museum, 

 from the U. S. Exploring Expedition collection. This seems to be Dana's type, 

 for his original label is still preserved. Plate 20, figure 2, represents part of the 

 colony, which is of bushy shape, 18.5 cm. wide and about 15 cm. tall. Diameter 

 of branches near the base, 5 to 6 mm; diameter of one branch 40 mm. from the 

 apex, 5.5 mm.; diameter of another 21 mm. from apex, 3.6 mm. Calices in rather 

 definite rows, 6 to 9 on a branch, diameter about 0.6 mm.; upper margin slightly 

 protuberant, lower margin faintly developed or obsolete. Six well-developed septa. 

 Columella thick, compressed in the plane of the directive septa. Coenenchyma 

 dense, surface thickly beset with small granulations. 



The largest of the Murray Island specimens (plate 20, fig. 1) is a cluster 17 cm. 

 in diameter and about 12 cm. high. Branches 5 to 6 mm. in diameter near the 



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