BULLETIN 59, UNITED STATfIS NATIONAL MUSEUM. 127 



that Flahellum origiiiallj' had twelve septa; von Koch, however, later showed that it 

 begins with six. 



3. The persistence of six more pronounced primary sopta and the peculiar fusion 

 of the septa in Ci/eloseris arc stated correctly bj' Mr. (jardiner. The first character 

 is persistent throughout all of the species of Cijclosei'is known to me, including Fungia 

 elegans Verrill. The mode of fusion of the septa described by Mr. (iardiner occurs 

 in all the species of CycloKer'iH with which I am familiar, but it is not confined to 

 them. He is mistaken, however, when he sa^'s that the margins of the higher 

 cycles invariably become eciual in height to those of the lower cycles immediately 

 after fusion. 



Bourne emphasizes his assertion that six of the twelve septa are more prominent 

 in young Fumjiiv. In all of the young Fungia that I have seen the primaries are 

 easily distinguished. In a number of species {F. scalrra, F. lylarut, etc.) thej' are 

 distinct in the adults. As the specimens of a particular species increase in size, or as 

 a species is of larger size, septa of higher cycles extend to the columella, so that in 

 large specimens or large species, septa, of several cycles reach the axis. All species 

 I'eferred to Cycloserk are small. 



The successive fusion of tiie higher to the lower cycles of septa can not be con- 

 sidered characteristic of Cijcloxerls, unless the greater number of known species of 

 Fmigia be placed in Cycloneris. We should have to begin with F. horrula, F. 

 danat, etc. 



After having made an extensive study to discover if there are characters by 

 which Dius-cris can be separated from C'l/dcser/'s and CycJoneris from Fungia, I feel 

 convinced that they should not be separated. There is simplv no ditference between 

 Cycloseris and Fungia. The peculiar mode of reproduction in Diaseris may in some 

 instances furnish an aid to specific determination. 



In my paper," alread}' cited, I said: 



I have distributed the genera considered in this paper among four families and have five head- 

 ings for genera tliat are not referred to famiHes. This classification, which eiiil)odies nothing new, 

 except making a family, Micrabaciida-, is only an attempt, antl shoidd be sulijected to the most 

 searching criticism to determine the validity of the characters used in differentiating the families. 

 The Leptophylliid.-e * are very doubtfully separable from Gregory's Thamnastneidte, though they 

 probably should be kept sei>arate. The MicraljaciidcC have solid septa and perforate walls. The 

 Anabraciida; are characterized by having a very pronounced and regular trabecular septal structure, 

 but in some genera the basal pores between the trabecuUe are filled with stereoplasm, bringing this 

 family and the LeptophylliidM> very close together. 



Before the synonymy of the proposed genera can be determined they must be accurately defined, 

 and here 1 will repeat that the i/eiieric defuiitimis miijit l/e haxed firhiKirihj upon a ti/pc-xperies. After this 

 has been done tlie study of variation can be undertjiken in order to determine the value of characters 

 supposed to be of generic importance. 



As a considerable number of species and a rather large number of specimens 

 of Fungia were available for study, I decided to make a (•um2Jarati\e study of them, 

 especially for the purpose of testing the validity of those characters supposed to be 



a A Critical review of the literature on the simple genera of the Madreporaria Fungida. 

 6 The same as Gregory's Ethmotidse, which is abandoned, as it was not derived from a genus 

 name. 



