Family Meutcjdid.e Wright and Studer. 



Melitt-a (in part) Lamouroux. Histoire des Polypiers coraüigenes flexibles, 1816, p. 458. 

 Isidime (in part) Milne Edwards et Haime. Histoire Naturelle des Coralliaires, I, 1857, p. 192. 

 Melithaacece (in part) Kölliker. Icones Histiologicai, II, 1865, p. 142. 

 Melitlueadce Ar Mopsellada -|- Trinellida + Ellisellada (in part) Gray. Catalogue of Lithophytes 



in the British Mufceum, 1870, p. 24. 

 Trenellidie Ridley. Contributions to the knowledge of Alcyonaria, Annals and Magazine of 



Natural History, Series V, Vol. X, 1882, p. 130. 

 Melithaidce Ridley. Zoological Collections H. M. S. Alert, 1884, p. 356. 

 MelithcEidcB Studer. Versuch eines Systemes der Alcyonaria, 1887, p. 30. 

 Melit/ueidie Ridley. Alcyonaria of the Mergui Archipelago, Journal Linna:an Society, 1888, 



XXI, p. 244. 

 Melitodidce Wright and Studer. Challenger Reports, the Alcyonaria, 1889, pp. XXW, 170. 

 Melitodidic Bourne. A treatise on Zoology, II, Chap. VI, 1900, p. 25. 

 MelitodidiC Kükenthal. Die Gorgonidenfamilie der Melitodida; Verrill. Zoologischer Anzeiger, 



Bd. XXXIII, N« 7/8, 1908, p. 189. 



On account of their striking superficial resemblance in the jointed axis to certain Lsidae, 

 the species of the Melitodidce and Isidse were placed together by a number of the earlier 

 writers, much to the confusion of the systematic arrangement of these forms. Lamouroux (18 16) 

 recognized the difference between the axes of this heterogeneous group of "Isidees" and formed 

 the genus Melitea to accommodate species with spongy and inflated internodes, and included 

 in it JMclitea ochracea, M. de risso (= his coccinea Gmelin), J/, rctifcra and M. textiformis. 



Milne Edw.\rds and H.a.ime (1857) combine the genera his, Mopsea and JMelithcsa in 

 their subfamily Isidina;. 



KÖLLIKER (1865) included the genera JMclitJuca and Mopsea in his subfamily Melithaiacec-e. 



Ridley (1884) discusses the family "Melithaeida" at considerable length and .shows that 

 the three families Melithaeidae, Mopsellidae and Elliscllidae of Gr.\y can not be regarded as 

 distinct, and includes them all in one family Melitha^ida; in which he includes the following 

 genera : Melitodes, Clathraria, Wrightclla, Mopsclla, Acabaria, Tritiel/a and Parisis, and adds 

 a new genus Psilacabaria. 



Studer (1887) included in "Melithaeids" the same genera as are included by Ridley, 

 but combines the genera Parisis of Verrill and Trinella of Gray. 



Wright and Studer (1889) substitute the name Melitodida; for Melithaeidae of Ridley 

 because the basis name for the old family was Melitta, which had previously been used for 

 a genus of insects; while Verrill (1863) proposed the generic name ^h/itodes as practically a 

 substitute for Melitaea of earlier writers. This suggested the name Melitodidae as a family 

 designation proposed by Wright and Studer, who include the same genera that are named 

 by Studer. Their definition of the family is as follows : 



