Frof. Mcholson on Classification of "Tahulate Corals!' 93 



Syringcypora, Goldf., is regarded as a Eugose coral, allied to 

 Litliostrotion or Diphyphylliun. 



Passing over a paper by M. Dollfus (Comptes Eend,, t. 

 Ixxx., 1875), we come next to the exceedingly important 

 papers by Mr Moseley on the anatomy of the recent Millepora 

 and Heliopora (Phil. Trans., 1876 ; Ann. and Mag. Nat. Hist., 

 1876 ; and Pliil. Trans., 1878), which have thrown a flood of 

 light upon the subject of the structure and affinities of the 

 Palaeozoic " Tabulata." Without entering into Mr Moseley's 

 discoveries in any detail, it is well known that their general 

 result was to complete the disintegration of the " Tabulata " 

 of Edwards and Haime, and to fairly remove from the Zoan- 

 fJiaria certain groups that had previously been referred to 

 this order of the Adinowa. Thus, Millepora and its allies, as 

 formerly asserted by Agassiz, are now definitely proved to be 

 true Hydrozoa, of which class they form, with the Stylasteridm, 

 the new order of the Hydrocorallince ; Hcliolites and its 

 numerous alKes, instead of being relations of Millepora, are 

 shown conclusively to be Actinozoa, but to be at the same 

 time referable to an unsuspected order of this class, namely, 

 to the Alcyonaria ; while various familiar types of the 

 Palaeozoic " Tabulata " are brought by these discoveries into 

 more or less probable relationship with either the Hydrozoa 

 or the Actinozoa ; and light of the most important character is 

 afforded as to certain structural peculiarities in the Palaeozoic 

 types, which have hitherto proved obscure or inexplicable. 



The foregoing brief sketch will render it evident that 

 recent researches, though still incomplete, are so far advanced 

 as to render the abandonment of the " Tabulata " as a distinct 

 group of the Zoantharian a hardly avoidable step, while the 

 removal elsewhere of some of the principal forms previously 

 included under this head is already a fact accomplished. It 

 is indeed now quite clear that the principal character relied 

 upon by Milne-Edwards and Haime in their definition of the 

 " Tabulata " — namely, the presence of " tabulae " — is one of 

 very limited classificatory importance. Thus, " tabulae " are 

 now known to occur in Pocillopora, Cyatliophora, Coelastrcea, 

 Clausastrxa, etc., among the Zoantharia aporosa ; in Alveo- 

 pora and the allied Favositipora, among the Zoantharia per- 



