ZOAXTHARIA MADREPORARIA 



385 



although a great deal of work yet remains to be done, it may be 

 said tliat tlie Madreporaria exhibit close affinities in structure 

 with the Actiniaria. Tlie chief points in the anatomy of the 

 zooids are described under tlic different sub-divisions, but a 

 few words are necessary in this section to explain the principal 

 features exhibited by the skeleton. 



There is no more difficult task tlian the attempt to explain 

 upon any one simple plan tlie A'arious peculiarities of the Madre- 

 porariau skeleton.^ The authorities upon the group are not agreed 

 upon the use of the terms employed, nor are the current theories 



Fig. 167. — Series of diagrams to illustrate tlie structure of tlie Mailreporarian skeleton. 

 A, young stage of a solitary eoral with simple protlieea {p.t). B, solitary coral, 

 with theca (th), epitheca (e.t), anil prototheca (p.t). C, young stage of colonial coral, 

 showing coenosteuni (coe) and theca (th), and the formation of the theca of a bud (b). 

 D, two zooids of a more advanced stage of a colonial coral, coe, Coenosteum ; th, 

 theca. The black horizontal partitions are the tabulae. E, transverse section of a 

 calyx, c, Costa ; col, columella ; d, dissepiment ; r/, septum ; p, pali. 



of the evolution of the skeleton consistent. It is necessary, 

 however, to explain the sense in which certain terms are em- 

 ployed in the systematic part that follows, and in doing so to 

 indicate a possible line of evolution of the more complicated 

 compound skeletons from the simple ones. 



There can be no doubt whatever that the whole of the skeleton 

 of these animals is formed by the ectoderm, and is external to 

 their bodies. If we could get rid of the influence of tradition 

 upon our use of popular expressions we should call this skeleton 

 a shell. There can be little doubt, moreover, that this skeleton 

 is formed by a single layer of specialised ectoderm cells called the 

 " calicoblasts." 



^ For a general account of the Madreporarian skeleton, cf. Ogilvie, Phil. Trans, 

 noy. Sac. cl.xxxvii. B. 1896. 



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