POLYNESIAN PORITES. 93 
PELEW ISLANDS. 
73. Porites Pelew Islands ql. (P. Palauensis prima.) 
[Pelew Islands; Hamburg Museum. } 
Syn. Porites capricornis Rehberg, Abh. Naturw. Ver. Hamb., xii. (1892) p. 46, pl. iii. fig. 7. 
Description —The corallum forms a somewhat close tuft of long, tapering, occasionally 
fusing stems (“like goat- or antelope-horns’”’), but branching. The basal stems are as much as 
6 cm. thick. It forms large colonies 30 cm. high. The tips are blunt and rounded off. 
The calicles are mostly superficial, but some are slightly sunk; they are sub-polygonal. 
The walls are of an open meshwork (“breit gegittert”); the ring of pali usually distinct. The 
septa is somewhat irregular and unequal, “confusedly trabecular.” The columella is hardly 
recognisable. 
This coral from the Pelew Islands was of a deep black colour, and is compared by the 
author with P. nigrescens of Dana and P. columnaris Klunz., but its growth distinguishes it 
from either. 
Dr. Rehberg’s description of the calicle is hardly sufficient, but the growth-form is clearly 
very remarkable. The nearest coral to this in the National Collection is P. Java Sea 2 from 
Billiton, but the calicles from this type are so peculiar that there can be no hesitation as to 
the necessity of keeping them apart. It is worth while, also, to compare the growth-form and 
black colour with that of a Porites shown in Esper’s Pflanzenth. i., pl. xxi. a, as Madrepora 
Porites, from the East Indian Seas. Its branches are blunter and not so sinuous. 
Other Porites recorded from the Pelew Islands, but not described, are :— 
(1) A form in the Hamburg Museum, said to be of the same species as Dana’s “ Porites 
nigrescens.” See Rehberg (Abh. Naturw. Ver. Hamburg, xii. (1892) p. 47.) 
(2) A specimen in the Strasburg Museum, identified by Ortmann (Zool. Jahrb. iii. Syst. 
(1888), p. 143) as of the same species as that called Porites lutea by Dr. Klunzinger. This 
name “lutea” has been applied very recklessly. 
CAROLINE ISLANDS. 
74. Porites Caroline Islands (ql, (P. Carolina prima.) 
[Ponapé, coll. Museum Godeffroy; ? J] 
Syn. Porites decipiens Briggemacin Journ. Mus. Godeffroy, v. (1879) p. 210. 
Description.—The corallum forms very compact clusters of dichotomously branching stems, 
which all reach to the same height, so that the upper surface is level or slightly convex, The 
