48 MADREPOEAEIA. 



27. Madrepora multicaulis. (Plate III.) 



Corallum bushy-arborescent, forming broad, much-divided clumps 40 cm. wide or more 

 and 23 cm. high. Branches 15 to 18 cm. long and about 1*8 cm. thick at the base, much 

 divided, especially near the apex, which is usually divided into 3 to 7 radiating branchlets 

 1 cm. thick, most of which are again divided and proliferous. Axial corallites 3 to 4"5 mm. 

 diameter, but usually 4 mm. or nearly so, and not much exsert ; wall very thick and porous. 

 Radial corallites on the distal divisions ascending, dimidiate, the majority subequal, but with 

 a few small between, length 3 mm., diameter 1*5 mm., wall a little thickened but very porous; 

 a variable number, chiefly near the apex, are thicker and bear buds. On the middle sections 

 of the branches the prominent corallites are rather distant, short, thick, nariform, often 

 2*5 mm. wide, with subimmersed ones scattered between ; nearer the base all are small and 

 immersed or subimmersed. Star distinct in the prominent corallites, the directive septa 

 broad ; in the immersed corallites the directive septa are scarcely more prominent than the 

 others. Corallum very porous ; surface spongy above, evenly reticulate below ; wall striato- 

 reticulate and echinulate. 



Indian Ocean : Ramesvaram. 



a, b. Ramesvaram. Madras Museum. 88. 11. 25. 10 & 93. 4. 7. 151. (Types.) 



b. Corallum massive, more or less complanate, with numerous labellate corallites. 



28. Madrepora ehrenbergi. 



Madrepora ehrenhergii, M.-Edwards & Haime (mow B.-Smith), Coralliairos, t. iii. p. 143. 

 Madrepora tcandens, Klunzinger, Korallenth. d. roth. Meeres, Th. ii. p. 26, pi. ii. fig. 6, pi. iv. fig. 3, 

 pi. ix. fig. 21 ; Ortmann, Zool. JB. 1888, Bd. iii. p. 150. 



The following is a description of the type of M.-Edwards in the Paris Museum : — 

 Corallum erect, forming a confused arborescent clump with frequent fusions. Branches 

 about 1'2 cm. thick, bearing branchlets at an angle of about 45°, frequently opposite, and 

 8 mm. diameter near the apex. Axial corallites probably 2 to 25 mm. diameter and 2 mm. 

 exsert. Radial corallites at an angle of 45°, or wider in the case of the larger ones. About 

 one third are cylindrical with an oblique aperture, 4 mm. long and 1'5 mm. diameter ; the 

 remainder are shorter and smaller, nariform to subimmersed. Some distance below the 

 apex the larger corallites become thickened, the aperture is less oblique, and they bear 2 or 3 

 small bud-corallites ; this condition indicates the transition to independent branchlets. 

 Corallum stony, little perforate ; surface echinulate, not reticulate ; wall striato-echinulate. 



A fine fan-shaped specimen in the collection of the British Museum, 70 cm. wide and 

 60 cm. high, is intermediate in form between the type and M. scandens, Klunz. The main 

 branches are 4 cm. thick at the base and clothed with short spreading tubular corallites 

 at the back, which extend about halfway up the corallum. Near the upper extremity there 

 are almost as many branchlets and prominent corallites on the posterior as on the anterior 



