84 PAPERS FROM THE DEPARTMENT OF MARINE BIOLOGY. 



The illustrations of Madrepor a fimbriata by Spengler, of Euphyllia meandrina 

 by Dana, and of Leptosmilia ramosa and Rhipidogyra daniana by Milne Edwards 

 and Haime are all good. The last-mentioned authors referred Dana's E. meandrina 

 and their Rhipidogyra daniana to the synonymy of Spengler's species. Dana's 

 type of E. meandrina (No. 94, U. S. Nat. Mus.) is here refigured on plate 8, figure 2. 

 The illustrations of Bedot are superb. It therefore appears unnecessary to redescribe 

 Dana's type. 



This species is considered here because, as Quelch reported Euphyllia turgida 

 from the shore, "Somerset, Cape York," it belongs to the Great Barrier Reef 

 fauna. The following notes are based on Dana's type of Euphyllia turgida, which 

 has been kindly loaned by the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia, cata- 

 logue number 1893, and plate 27, figures 1, la, illustrate it. The locality of the 

 specimen, according to Dana, is Malacca, East Indies. 



Corallum light, forming tufts, height more than 16.5 cm.; distance across, 18 cm. or 

 more. Bases of branches, 31 by 28, and 24 by 35 mm. Branches bifurcate or trifurcate, 

 distance between forks 3 to 6 cm., distance between series from 8.5 to 17.5 mm. Walls 

 very thin, surface costate, costae subequal or alternating in size; near the calicular edges they 

 are up to 0.5 mm. tall, steep-sided and distant, about 1 mm. apart, and correspond to all septa. 



Simple corallites 44 mm. long by 22 mm. wide; 2 or 3 corallites may form series up to 

 70 mm. long. 



Septa thin, margins entire, the larger slightly exsert; 12 to 13 to 1 cm.; in 4 or 5 sizes. 

 Fossa deep; no columella. Endotheca highly vesicular; dissepiments thin, about 1.75 mm. 

 apart. 



This specimen is the peripheral portion of a colony of E. meandrina Dana = is. 

 fimbriata. 



The validity of the identifications of E. turgida by Quelch and Gardiner now 

 needs discussion. Quelch says: 



"This species is very variable in the shape and size of its calices. They may be from 

 about 2 to 8 cm. in diameter, and either circular, oval, triangular, or much elongate. The 

 septa are very thin and numerous, and the axial cavity is rather shallow. An excellent 

 figure is given by Milne-Edwards and Haime." 



The following is Gardiner's comment: 



"Three branched specimens with calices varying up to 4 cm. long by 2 cm. broad, closely 

 agree with Ed. and H.'s description and figure, especially the section. The septa are scarcely 

 exsert, and the corallites have a tendency to be constricted round their open ends. Locality: 

 North Male, 28 f. and South Nilandu, 36 f." 



The correctness of these identifications is scarcely to be doubted. 

 Bedot has published detailed descriptions and excellent figures of his E. picteti 

 and E. picteti var. flexuosa. Regarding the former he says: 



"£. picteti se distingue facilement d'£. fimbriata: en effet, sa cavite calicinale est plus 

 elargie, evasee et profonde, ses cotes sont souvent plus proeminentes, le bord libre de la 

 muraille est beaucoup plus irregulier et enfin, la colonie est formee d'une lamelle repliee 

 mais non ramifiee." 



Concerning E. picteti var. flexuosa Bedot says: 



"La disposition des septes, de la pseudocolumelle et des lames endothecales est la meme 

 que chez E. picteti. La paroi externe de la muraille portait des cotes qui ont disparu en 

 grande partie par la suite de frottement et d'usure." 



These specimens bear to typical E. turgida about the same relation that E. 

 rugosa bears to typical E. glabrescens. It is therefore my opinion that E. picteti 

 and its variety flexuosa are variants of typical E. turgida, and should therefore 

 be placed in the synonymy of E. fimbriata. 



