g8 TAPERS FROM THE DEPARTMENT OF MARINE BIOLOGY. 



a notch just outside a rough, erect paliform tooth, which connects on its inner margin with 

 the columella tangle. Secondary septa somewhat thinner than the primaries, decreasing 

 in thickness toward the columella to which they fuse. Mural granules similar to those of 

 the primaries, the septal and palar teeth similar in arrangement but less prominent and 

 not so thick. Tertiaries usually but not always with corresponding smaller mural granules; 

 thin within the calices, sometimes fused to the sides of the secondaries. Occasionally in 

 a quarter system a mural granule may have no corresponding septum, as no perceptible 

 quaternary septa are present. Septal faces coarsely and roughly granulate. Columella 

 well developed, composed of coarse, sometimes flaky trabecular. 



Habitat and color, Cocos-Keeling Islands. — Dr. F. Wood Jones states in his notes: 

 "Grows as great spreading lamellae in the deepest patches of the lagoon, where the 

 sand flats suddenly deepen. Color while alive, rich brown." 



Distribution. — Indian Ocean; Philippine Islands (a large suite in the U. S. 



National Museum); Fiji Islands. 



Genus GALAXEA Oken. 



1815. Galaxea Oken, Lehrb. Naturg., Th. 3, Abth. 1, p. 72. 



1857. Galaxea Milne Edwards and Haime, Hist. nat. Corall., vol. 2, p. 223. 



Type species: Madrepora fascicularis Linnaeus. 



Milne Edwards and Haime have reviewed the synonymy of this genus in their 

 work cited, but did not designate a type species. However, of the species originally 

 placed in it by Oken they retain without question Galaxea musicalis and G. fasci- 

 cularis, one of which must therefore be the genotype. As G. fascicularis is the 

 best-known species, I designate it as the type of the genus. 



As it appears that this genus has not been reported in a fossil state, it will be 

 mentioned that a species occurs in the "silex" bed of the upper Oligocene Tampa 

 formation, near Tampa, Florida. This species at present, I am sorry to say, bears 

 a nomen nudum, Galaxea excelsa Vaughan. 1 Some corrallites on one specimen pro- 

 ject as much as 28 mm. and at the calice are 10.25 by I2 mm - m diameter. On 

 another specimen the diameter of the corallites is 12 by 15 mm. There are some- 

 what more than 4 cylces of septa. I hope soon to publish an adequate description 

 and figures of this interesting species. A second, smaller, species of Galaxea may 

 be represented in the collection from Tampa, but I am not certain that the speci- 

 mens are not parts of young colonies of the large species. 



Galaxea fascicularis (Linnaeus). 



Plate 33, figure 2, Dana's type of Anthophyllum hyslrix; figures 3, }a, two views of a specimen from Murray Island; 

 plate 34, figure I, specimen identified by Dana as Anthophyllum cespilosum. 



1904. Galaxea fascicularis Matthai, Trans. Linn. Soc. London, 2d ser., Zool., vol. 17, p. 59, plate 8, fig. 4; 

 plate 16, fig. 4; plate 34, fig. 3; plate 38, fig 6. 



The single specimen from Murray Island was not in thriving condition when 

 collected. The following is a description of it: 



Corallum begins as a small cluster, ultimately assuming a pulvinate form by extension 

 around the edges and by upward growth in the older portion. 



Corallites elliptical or deformed elliptical in transverse outline; project above perithecal 

 surface from 4 to 5 mm. (measured to top of wall); enlarging slightly or not at all with upward 

 growth. Diameter at calicular edge of a small nearly circular corallite 5 mm.; the range 

 is up to 5 by 7.5 mm. The greater diameter of some corallites is 8 mm. Distance apart 

 1.5 to 2.5 mm. Costae distinct at calicular edge, in two sizes according to septal cycle. 

 Distinct or obscure lower down; edges rounded. 



Septa in four complete cycles; primaries and secondaries reach and fuse to the colu- 

 mella; tertiaries shorter and thinner; quaternaries small and thin. Upper margins of 

 primaries and secondaries exsert up to 2 mm. Granulations on septal faces very small 

 and low. 



'U. S. Nat. Mus. Bull. 90, p. 18, 191;. 



