36 MADREPORARIA. 
There are several specimens in the collection of the British Museum which appear 
referable to this species, but unfortunately the habitat is not recorded of any of them. One 
fine specimen forms a broad shallow vase 55 cm. wide and 16 em. high, from an oval base 
12 by 6 em. across, with an extra central lobe not in the interior of the vase. The corallum, 
in spite of its large size, is only 2 to 2°5 em. thick, and is quite solid without any indication 
of branches below, excepting near the margin.  Corallites on the under surface very 
crowded and spreading tubular, 15 to 2°5 mm. diameter and 2°5 to 45 mm. long. They 
are longest near the base and have the wall a little thickened, strongly echinulate but not 
striate; they are usually so crowded that scarcely any ccenenchyma occurs between, and 
sometimes the walls are partly confluent; at the margin of the corallum they are strongly 
appressed. The star consists of 6 moderately developed septa. There are no immersed 
corallites on the under surface of this specimen (which is not at all worn), even those in the 
lines of fusion of the branches have a ring-shaped border. The main branches are not 
recognizable from the upper surface, excepting in the marginal 8 to 10 cm. of the colony 
(where they are 8 mm. thick), but their course is clearly indicated by radiating rows of 
proliferous corallites separated by rows of immersed or subimmersed ones. The branchlets 
on the upper surface would be more correctly described as erect clusters of proliferous 
corallites, none of which exceed 1:3 cm. in length, the majority are much shorter. They 
occur in great numbers along the upper surface of the branches, and may consist of a single 
elongate tubular corallite bearing appressed labellate ones at the base, of a cluster of 3 or 
4 such proliferous corallites, or of larger groups 1 to 1°5 cm. in diameter. Axial corallites 
cylindrical, 2 mm. broad, and usually 8 mm. exsert. Radial corallites chiefly labellate or 
tubo-labellate, with a very elongate aperture 4 mm. long and 1:5 to 2 mm. wide at the apex, 
but usually narrower below, wall strongly striate. Those corallites which are proliferous 
become tubular and a little compressed, 6 mm. long and 2 mm. diameter. Between the 
proliferous clusters, shorter labellate or immersed corallites occur, and immersed or 
subimmersed corallites occupy the imtervals between the rows of proliferations. In the 
corallites of the upper surface the star is very imperfectly developed. Corallum porous 
and reticulate in section, surface spongy and echinulate. Wall of the corallites of the 
upper surface distinctly striate, echinulate at the base. The branches of the inner lobe of 
the vase are free at the extremities. 
Two other specimens agree in most points with the one already described, but are worn 
and all the corallites on the under surface are immersed, but this may be due to injury. A 
fourth specimen appears to represent an early condition of the species before the main 
branches become fused into a solid plate. It consists of several curved fan-like lobes, the 
branches of which are confluent only near the base. The free portions of the branches bear 
a close resemblance to those of M. palmata forma prolifera under similar circumstances, 
but differ in having proliferous corallites on their upper surface and short, rather stout 
tubular ones below. 
Singapore; Hast Indies (Dana). 
a. ——? Purchased. 73. 1. 20. 1. 
c ? 98. 4. 7. 66 & 67. 
—? 
d. ——? ——? 93.4. 7. 64. 
e. —? Purchased. 44. 6.10.15. (Young colony.) 
f. —? ——? 93. 4. 7. 65. 
g. ——? ——? 93. 4. 7. 182. 
