Verrill, N'otes on Radiata. 503 



This curious coral is known only by one specimen, which is, perhaps, 

 in so.ne respects abnormal. It is possible that the broad flat tops of 

 the lobes are produced by the shallowness of the water in which it 

 grew, or by some other disturbing cause. Therefore the structure 

 upon the branching part, which does not rise so high, is probably more 

 characteristic. It was collected by Maj. Rich and received with 

 Allopora Calif ornica V. and several Gorgonidm. The latter arc 

 from La Paz, Gulf of California, which is very likely the locality of 

 this species. 



Family, Poritid.e Dana. 



Dana, Zoophytes, p. 549, 1846. 



Poritidce {pars) (Poritince) Edw. and Haime, CoraU., Ill, p. 173, 1860. 



Polyps elongated, crowded, secreting from their lower parts con- 

 tinuous and very porous corals, with shallow cells, from which in 

 expansion the polyps are much exsert, with slender, flexible bodies 

 and 12 to 24 tentacles, rarely more. Corallum massive, glomerate, 

 encrusting, lobate, or branched, consisting of crowded corallites, 

 united completely together by their very porous and often indistinct 

 walls. Cells superficial or shallow, with porous septa, often rejire- 

 sented only by series of small spinules or trabiculte ; transverse septa 

 very rudimentary. Budding generally sub-marginal or interstitial, 



Porites Lamarck (restricted). 



Porites (pars) Lamarck, Hist, des anim. sans vert, t. II, p. 267, 1816; 2nd edit, ii, 



p. 432. 

 Madrepora (subgenus Porites) (pars) Ehrenberg, CoraU. roth. Meeres, p. 115, 1834. 

 Porites Dana, Zoophytes, p. 550, 1846; Edw. and Haime, Corall., Ill, p. 173, 1860. 

 Porites and Neoporites Duch. and Mich., Supl. Corall. des Antilles, 1864-6. 



Corallum glomerate, lobed or dichotomously branched, very porous, 

 with a rudimentary basal epitheca. Cells shallow, crowded, usually 

 distinctly polygonal ; walls thin and imperfect, or very porous ; septa 

 generally 12, sometimes 12 to 20, rarely 24, slightly developed, trabic- 

 ular, or very porous, the edge consisting of small granules or papillae. 

 A circle of 5, 6 or more small papilla?, or paliform teeth, often 

 scarcely distinct from the septal papilla}, surround a small, central 

 papilliform columella, which is sometimes wanting or scarcely distinct. 

 Polyps small, exsert, with twelve tentacles. 



JVeoporites, a subdivision of this genus proposed by Duchassaing 

 and Michelotti does not seem to be well founded. The characters 

 assigned appear to be of little importance and are not always con- 

 stant in the same species, while inteiTnediate species frequently occur. 



Trans. Connecticut Acad., Vol. I. 64 April, 1870. 



