POLYZOAN CORALS 167 



Lepralia. — In dredging in a few fathoms of water off 

 the British coast, the naturahst sometimes finds his net 

 held up or checked by large masses of a foliaceous coralline 

 substance which proves to be a Cheilostomatous Polyzoon 

 belonging to the genus Lepralia {L. foliacea). The first 

 record of this species seems to be that of Ellis, who wrote : 

 " This stony Millepora was found growing to an oyster 

 shell on the west coast of the Isle of Wight in April 1753, 

 and when it was received the Insects were visible in the cells 

 but dead." He called it the " Stony foliaceous coralline " 

 or Eschar a niifoi'iiiis. 



Fig. 79. — Lt'pral ill foliacea. From Plymouth. J nat. size. Photo by H. Jiritten. 



The specimen which was photographed for the illustra- 

 tion (Fig. yq) was taken off the Mewstone Rock near 

 Plymouth in 1923 in about 12 fathoms of water, and 

 occupied a space of about one cubic foot, but larger speci- 

 mens than this are not uncommonly found off the coast of 

 Cornwall.^ 



When a piece of one of the thin and very brittle laminae 

 or leaves of the coral is broken off and dried, the surface on 

 both sides is seen to be composed of typical Polyzoan zooecia 



' Couch mentions that he had seen one hooked up by a lisherman off 

 the Eddystone which measured 7 feet 4 inches in circumference and i 

 foot in depth (Hincks, British Mari}ie Polyzoa, p. 304). 



