88 CORALS AND CORAL LS LANDS. 



Professor Verrill observes that not a single West Indian 

 coral occurs on the Panama coast, although, on the opposite 

 coast, at Aspinwall, there are found nearly all the reef-building 

 species of Florida, viz. : Porites asti-ceoides Lmk., P. davaria 

 Lmk., Madi'epora pabnata L., M. cervicoi'nis L., M. prolifera L., 

 MffMJidrida divosa V., M. /aby7'i?tthica, M. sinuosa Les., with 

 other species of Mseandrina, Manidna areolata Ehr., Sider- 

 astriEa {Sidcrind) radiata V., 6". galaxea BL, Agarida agari- 

 dtes, OrbiceUa cavernosa V., O. ajimilaris D. Moreover no 

 West Indian species is known to be identical with any from 

 the Pacific or Indian Ocean. 



The reefs of the Brazilian coast south of Cape Roque lie 

 in the subtorrid region of oceanic temperature, or between 

 the isocrymes of '74° and 68°. The reef corals extend as far 

 south as Cape Frio, according to Professor C. F. Hartt. The 

 species, as determined by Professor Verrill, from Professor 

 Hartt's collections, resemble the West Indian. All species of 

 Madrepora, Mseandrina, Diploria, Manicina, Oculina, genera 

 eminently characteristic of the West Indies, appear to be want- 

 ing, while the most important reef-making genera are Faina, 

 Acanthastrcea^ Oflncelia, Siderastraa, Porites, and Millep07-a, 

 and also, of less importance, Mussa and some others. A 

 few species, viz. : Siderastrcea stdlata V., OrbiceUa aperta V., 

 Astrcea gravida V., and Porites solida V., are very close to 

 West Indian species ; and Millepora alcicoi'iiis is an identical 

 species, though different in variety. 



The Bermudas are in the North Atlantic subtorrid region, 

 in the range of the Gulf Stream. The few reef-making species 

 that occur there are all West Indian, viz : The species of the 

 Astrsea tribe, Isophyllia dipsacea, /. rigida, Diploria cerebri- 

 for mis ; of the Oculina tribe, Oadina diffusa, Ocidina varicosa, 

 Oculina pallens, Oculina Valenciejinesii ; of the Fungia tribe, 

 Siderastrcea radians, Alycediurn fragile ; of the Madrepora tribe, 

 Porites davaria; also the Millep07'a alcicornis, and the common 

 West India Alcyonoids, Gorgojua flabellum, Plexaura a-assa 

 Lx., PL flexuosa Lx., PL homomalla Lx., Pterogorgia Ameri- 

 cana Ehr., Pt. ace?'osa, Ehr. 



