MADREPORARIAN CORALS, WITH AN 



ACCOUNT OF VARIATION IN 



CARYOPHYLLIA 



T 



By J. Stanley Gardiner, M.A., f.r.s. 



(Plates XX-XXI) 



HE corals described in this report were collected by the scientific staff of the Dis- 

 covery Committee between the years 1926 and 1933. The following localities are 

 represented : 



Gough Island, St. 399. 



Tristan da Cunha and Inaccessible Island, Sts. 6, 1187. 



Cape Lopez, French Congo, St. 279. 



Annobon, Gulf of Guinea, St. 283. 



New Zealand — North Island, St. 939. 



South Georgia and Shag Rocks, Sts. 152, 160. 



Clarence Island, St. 170. 



Palmer Archipelago, Sts. 181, 182, 190. 



Cape Horn, St. 388. 



Patagonian Shelf, Falkland Islands, and Burdwood Bank, Sts. WS 76-99, WS 210- 

 250, WS 792-871. 



Further information is given in the Station Lists issued by the Discovery Committee. 



Corals were obtained in 34 dredgings and these have been referred to 14 species in 

 9 genera. In each of 29 dredgings only a single species was obtained, in 4 two species 

 and in i three species. On the other hand, Flabellum curvatum was obtained in 17 

 dredgings, 79 to 278 m., and Balanophyllia cor?iu in 6 dredgings, 75 to 404 m. ; these are 

 Moseley's Challenger species, which were obtained respectively from off Rio de la 

 Plata, 600 fm., and off Ki Islands, 129 fm. Of the rest 4 species were each obtained 

 from two dredgings and i from three. I can recall from no expedition any analogy to 

 the wide distribution in its area of Flabellum curvatum, of which 158 coralla were ob- 

 tained. A search for characters in these which might be supposed to be related with a 

 low temperature, as the one non-fluctuating feature in their localities, proved unavailing ; 

 indeed, they presented no differences in texture compared with F. rubrum andpavoniimm, 

 of which I have had large numbers of specimens from the Indian Ocean. Of other 

 species Moseley's CaryophylUa profunda is at present only known from the Antarctic, as 

 are two species of Gardineria. 



The identification of the specimens of CaryophylUa led me to a consideration of 

 taxonomic characters in this genus. The examination of the collection in the British 

 Museum was of great value, for which I thank Captain Totton. Co-types of Pourtales 

 were kindly supplied to me by the Agassiz Museum for which I have to thank Dr Barber, 

 the Director; they will be added to the British Museum collections; they cause me to 

 admire and feel confidence in Pourtales' work. 



