A. E. Verrill — Bermudian and West Indian Reef Corals. 85 



process of eliniiuation, the last subdivision of Manicina Ehr. to 

 receive a name was the group named Gyrosmilia in 1851. This was 

 based on M. interrupta, the second species under Manicina in 

 Ehrenberg's list,* pp. 101-103. 



But Gyrosmilia\^ generally regarded as inseparable from Plerogyra 

 E. and H., 1848 {^Eiiphyllia, pars, Dana, 1846). It is doubtful 

 whether Plerogyra can be kept as a genus distinct from Euphyllia, 

 from which it differs chiefly in the loose union of the walls. 



On p. 102, under M. gyrosa, Ehrenberg states that gyrosa does 

 not agree with the generic characters, and proposes for it a provi- 

 sional generic name [Podasteria). This might take the place of 

 ColpophyUia\ according to strict rules of priority, but he gives no 

 definition of the generic characters, nor does he refer to it his fissa 

 (sp. 6) and mmandrites (sp. 7), though they are probably all forms 

 of the same species (gyrosa). 



It seems best, therefore, to restrict the name llanicina, if it is to 

 be retained for a genus, to the group named Colj^ophyllia E. and H., 

 with 31. gyrosa as the type. Podasteria and Colpophyllia would 

 thus become strict synonyms of it. It is doubtful whether more 

 than one species is known, most, if not all, of the several named 

 species being mere forms of gyrosa. 



This would surely produce the least disturbance in the current 

 nomenclature. The only alternative would be to restore it to the 

 second and third species = Plerogyra + Gyrosmilia E. and H. But 

 in case these should be united to Euphyllia D. (1846), as is likely, 

 the name would again lapse or else come back to Colpophyllia. 



Another view may, possibly, be reasonably held. Manicina (E. 

 and H.) by some may be thought worthy of recognition as a section 

 or subgenus of Mmandra, with M. {Ma)iicina) areolata as the type. 

 But I know of no structural characters by which such a group can 

 be distinguished. 



* The 1st species is a Mussa (E. and H.) ; the 2d is type of Gyrosmilia, 1851 = 

 Plerogyra E. and H., 1848 ; 3d is Plerogyra, ; 4, 6, 7 are Colpophyllia E. and H., 

 1848 = Po(/asferia Ehr., 1834 ; 5th is Moiamlrina iveyis.) = Pecfinia Oken ; 8, 9, 10 

 are Mceandra, restr., Oken; 13 is Tridacophyllia Blainv., 1830. The 11th, M. 

 areolata Ehr. {non L.), is doubtful. Edw. and H. refer it to Trachyphyllia 

 Geoffroyi, but the description in Ehr. does not apply to a Trachyphyllia, for it 

 implies ti'ue suleated collines, " truncafis, jJcissim fissis.^^ It is indeterminable 

 from the description. 



f Ehrenberg's three species, Nos. 4, 6, 7, all belong to Manicina {Podasteria) 

 gyrosa (or Colpophyllia gyrosa E. and H.), according to Vaughan, who has 

 recently examined the types of Ehrenberg, in Berlin. 



