CATALOGUE 
OF 
MADREPORARIA. 
GENERAL REMARKS. 
HISTORICAL. 
Tur name Madrepora appears to have been first used by Imperato in 1599, but its precise 
significance, or rather the sense in which the term was originally employed, does not appear 
to be generally understood. The derivation usually given (cf. ‘The Century’ and other 
dictionaries) is madre, Ital., and the Greek mapos, or possibly mopos. ‘The affinity to Ital. 
madreperla, mother-of-pearl, is evident. Imperato* describes and figures a number. of 
Zoophytes, which he classes together as Port. This group is divided into Millepora, Madre- 
pora, Retepora, Frondipora, Tubulara, &e. His work was published at a time when naturalists 
were anxious to show that the animal and vegetable kingdoms meet in a common area, the 
sea, and there produce an intermediate type of structure. Imperato is therefore especially 
concerned to prove the “animal” nature of his Madrepora, and in dog so makes use of 
several expressions which are quoted by Donati and appear to indicate the association of ideas 
which led to the use of the word. The following quotations from Donati’s work + (French 
edition, 1758) are a free translation of the original of Imperato :—In “ Madrepora”’ “ les 
nouvelles additions se forment en consistance de Pore, et de substance charnue....... 
Madrepora, amas épais de Pores. .....-- on croit que c’est une mére ow se forment des 
animaux marins comme les abeilles dans les giteaux de cire..... a tubulaire [the 
calcareous cups] west quwun réservoir danimaux.” The figures of “ Madrepora” in 
Imperato’s work appear to represent a species of Dendrophyllia, probably D. ramea.%2In the 
* ¢Dell’ Historia naturale’ (Napoli, 1599); Latin transl., Colonize, 1695. 
+ «Essai sur histoire naturelle de la Mer Adriatique’? (La Haye, 1758). 
