46 FUNGIA. 



quite regular. Columella elongated, convex, composed of transverse or 

 irregular twisted lamelhe. 



Height 2 to 3 cm. Diameter ol" calicle about 1 cm. 



OlV Havana, in 270 fathoms. 



Family FUNGIDvE Dana. 



This family has few representatives in the Atlantic ])asin, ami most 

 of them belong to the subfamily of Lophoserime M.-Edw. & II. In 

 the littoral and reef zone all the species are compound; from deep 

 water the dredge has brought, up three small, simple species, the first 

 simple Funu'idiu Ibund in these seas. 



Fungia symmetrica Poirt. 

 Plate VII., figs. 5 and G. 



Corallum circular, plano-convex. Wall perfectly plane, with very 

 small convex umbilicus in the middle, very little perforated. Costaa 

 distinct to the centre ; corresponding to the septa, finely spinous and 

 granulated, particularly towards the border, subequal, priauxries and 

 secondaries slightly larger. Septa subequal, spinous, larger ones some- 

 what lobod, in six regular svstems and four complete cycles. The septa 

 of the fourth cycle connected by their inner edge with those of the 

 third, and the latter with tho.se of the second ; the points of connec- 

 tion sometimes expanded into a kind of membrane. The ])rimarv se])ta 

 reacli the centre without lateral connection. Columella I'udiuu'Ulaiy, 

 sometimes covered with a nuMubranous expansion, through wliich some 

 of the spines project. Tlie syuapticules are large, rather deeply 

 seated, and correspond to each other in the contiguous chambers, so as 

 to form from four to six more or less regular concentric circles. 



Diamt'ter of larger speciuuni 1 cm., of smaller 7 mm. 



0(V Cojiiiia, Cub.a, in 450 fathoms 

 Off Carysfort R.ief, in 350 fathoms. 



This coral resembles C//d(>scris hexa(jonaUs very much, but the jier- 

 forations of the Avail and the echinulated costa> separate it apparently 

 from that genus. I am, however, inclined to doubt the generic value 

 of those characters, as the younger of the two specimens shows them in 

 so small a degree that they would generally escape notice. If found 

 in a sea where larger Fungise were common, these specimens would 

 naturally be considered as the young of one of them. 



