Verrill, Notes on Radiata. 365 



3d. The absence, in the Brazil fauna, of the genera 3Iadrepora, 

 Mceandrina, Diploria^ Manicina, Cladocora, Ocidma, genera so 

 characteristic of the West Indian fauna, is noteworthy. 



4th. The Brazilian corals form extensive reefs, which occur along 

 the coast, from the " Roccas," north of Cape St. Roque, to the Abrol- 

 hos. The genera which contribute most to the reefs are Acanthastrcea, 

 Favia^ Hellastnea ., Siderastrcea, ■Pontes, and Millepora, but the Mussa 

 and other species add a more or less notable share. 



South of the Abrolhos region, there are no known coral reefs. Very- 

 extensive ones occur in the Abrolhos region, at Itacolumi, Porto Se- 

 guro, Sta. Cruz, and in the vicinity of Camam6, and elsewhere south 

 of Bahia. In the Bay of Bahia are large coral banks, and off the towu 

 of Maceio, in the province of Alagoas there are large irregular coral 

 patches, uncovered at low tide, which ai-e seen extending northward 

 along the coast toward Pernambuco. Coral patches occur frequently 

 on the coast farther north, and the extensive reef of the Roccas, in the 

 latitude of the Island of Fernando de Noronha, is formed of coral. 



Around the Abrolhos Islands are fringing reefs. Between these 

 Islands and the shore is a large area of shallow sea, full of irregular 

 reefs. On the Brazilian shore, in open water, the corals grow in small 

 patches on the sea-bottom, and rise vertically to the surface like tow- 

 ers. These structures are termed, in Brazil, chapeiroes (sing, cha- 

 peirdo). In some instances they are only a few yards in diameter, 

 while their height may be 40 to 50 feet or more. These chapeiroes usu- 

 ally grow close together and sometimes coalesce to form reefs of sev- 

 eral square miles in area. The larger reefs are usually surrounded 

 by chapeiroes. Ordinarily the reefs reach a level a little above low- 

 tide. They are remarkably level topped. Occasionally sand is heaped 

 upon them and they become islands, but instances of this kind are 

 very rare. 



Class, ECHINODERMATA. 



Order, CRINOIDEA. 



Antedon Dubenii (?) B51sche, Wieg. Archiv. fur Naturg., 1866, p. 92. 



One specimen, apparently identical with this species, was obtained 

 at the Abrolhos. Its color is deep purple with large spots of yellow- 

 ish white on the sides of the rays. 



It is veiy different from a specimen of A. Braziliensis Liitk., from 

 Rio de Janeiro, sent to the Museum of Yale College by Dr. Liitken, 

 with which I have compared it. 



Rare, occasionally occurring in the shallow water on the borders of reefs and rock 

 ledges. — c. f. h. 



