80 A. E. J^errill — Bermudian and West Indian Reef Corals. 



The type of the former is in the Museum of Yale University. It 

 is one of the Cce7o'/v'«-group, with larger, open, mostly polygonal 

 calicles, rather few septa, and with a very cellular texture, as seen in 

 sections. Its origin is very uncertain. I do not think it probable 

 that it came from the West Indies, as Dana supposed. No recent 

 collector has found it in American waters, so far as I know. See 

 pi. xiv, fig. 3. 



Maeandra Agassizii (Edw. and Haime). 



Astrcea reticularis Dana, Zooph., p. 337, pi. xii, figs. 9-9c (non Lam.)=PnojT- 

 astrcea? Agassizii Edw. and Haime, Hist. Corall., ii, p. 524, 1857. 



Plate XIV. Figures 1, la. 



This rare species when well grown forms compact, even, hemi- 

 spherical masses, a foot or more in diameter. Such a mass, from the 

 Bahamas, in the Museum of Yale University, is ten inches across and 

 about six thick. A large part of the calicles are simple, astraeiform, 

 angular, often hexagonal or pentagonal, like those of a Goniastrcea, 

 separated by narrow rather acute walls. But in many places, espe- 

 cially toward the borders, they form more or less elongated, maean- 

 driniform grooves, which often become branched and convoluted, as 

 in typical Mmandra. Some of these actinal grooves become one to 

 two inches long (25 to oO'"™); 2.5 to 4'"'" wide; they are separated by 

 regular ridges, similar to those of M. clivosa, but smaller and more 

 regular. The mEendrinif orm grooves are often mixed with astraeiform 

 calicles, and all intermediate forms may occur on one specimen. 

 The ridges are rather high, rounded or with a gothic profile, and 

 have a simple, solid wall; they are about 2 to 3""' wide. The septa are 

 numerous, very thin, close, pretty regular, about 25-30 to a centime- 

 ter, and they project but little above the wall. The edge is finely 

 serriilate and there is a small but distinct paliform lobe. The 

 columella is well developed, spong}', composed of small convoluted 

 laminre, as in most other species of the genus. 



On those parts where most of the calicles are simple and regular, 

 they ai'e mostly from 4 to V'"'" in diameter ; double ones are from 



This species has not been found at the Bermudas and probably 

 not on the Florida Reefs. Most specimens that I have seen have 

 been from the Bahamas, where it seems to be rare. It is generally 

 mistaken for a Goniastrma, which it often closely resembles, but it 

 is closely related to 31. clivosa. 



