Verrill, Notes on RacUata. 507 



Polyps eloiiEcated, when expanded exsert, rising above the coral, 

 but capable of retracting into the colls. Tentacles as numerous as the 

 septa, elongated. Colors of living polyps generally bright, often 

 red or orange. 



Dendrophyllia Biaiuviiie. 



Caryophyllia (pars) Lamarck, Syst. anim. sans vert, p. 370, 1801 ; Hist. anim. sans 



vert, ii, p. 228, 1816; 2d edit, ii, p. 344. 

 Lithodendron (pars) Schweigger, Handb. der naturg. 

 Be/idrophyUia BlaiaviWe, Diet des scl. nat., Ix, p. 320, 18.30; Man. d'aetiuologie, 



1834; Dana, Zoophytes, p. 386 ; Edw. and Ilainie, Coralliaires, iii, p. 112. 

 Oculina {pars) Ehrenberg. Coral, des rothen Lleeres, p. 78, 1834. 



Corallum compound, low and corymbose or ca^spitose, or liigli and 

 arborescently branched ; budding lateral or sub-basal. Corallites 

 rather large, cylindrical, more or less elongated. Walls subcostate 

 near the ceUs, covered with rough vermiculate grains in rows, with 

 irregi;lar spaces between, which become more irregular and often 

 curved or variously bent below. 



Polyp-cells subcircular, deep ; septa scarcely projecting above the 

 margin, rather thin, forming four complete cycles. Columella usually 

 pretty well developed, often convex. 



Dendrophyllia surcularis VerriiL 



Proceedings Boston Soc. Nat Hist, xii, p. 393, 1869. 



Corallum low, rounded above, consisting of a large number of diver- 

 gent, elongated, cylindrical corallites, varying greatly in size and 

 length, and all united together into a thick base, which, on the sides, is 

 seen to be made up of numerous, short and thick, closely branched 

 trunks, partially united together laterally; the buds arise from all 

 parts of the sides, and from the common basal tissue between the 

 coi'allites of the upper surface ; many of the longer corallites also 

 bud on the sides and near the summit. The largest corallites are 

 •6 to "8 of an inch in diameter, and project 1 to 1 "4 above the base. 

 Walls thin, very jDorous, covered externally with fine, subequal, sca- 

 brous costse. Polyp-cells subcircular, very deep and open, olten 

 nearly as deep as broad, the septa not projecting above the margin. 

 Septa in four complete cycles, often witli narrow rudimentary se])ta 

 of the fifth cycle. Primary and secondary septa nearly equal, narrow, 

 thin, the lower part perpendicular, the upper part narrowed rapidly 

 to the edge of the cell ; those of the tliird cycle similar but smaller ; 

 those of the fourth much narrower, except far witliin the cell, where 

 they join the columella; those of the fifth very narrow and thin. 



