108 MADEEPOEARIA. 



in the radial corallites rarely more than the directive septa are recognizable. Wall striate at 

 first, echinulate at the base, the whole surface becoming covered with plate-like echinulations 

 later. 



Pacific Ocean : Fiji, Great-Barrier Reef, Tizard Bank. 



a. Tizard Bank, 9^ fathoms. H.M.S, 'Rambler.' 89. 9. 24. 90. ( = ilf. hyacinthus, 



B.-Sm.) 



b. Tizard Bank, 9^ fathoms. H.M.S. ' Rambler.' 89. 9. 24. 116. { = M. vastula, 



B.-Sm.) 

 c, d. Tizard Bank, 9^ fathoms. H.M.S. ' Rambler.' 93. 4. 7. 97 & 166. 

 e. Palm Island. Saville-Kent Coll. 92. 6. 8. 220. 

 /. ? ? 47. 1. 1. 11. 



102. Madrepora conferta. 



? Madrepwra microcladus, Briiggemann (non Ehrenberg), Phil. Trans. 1879, vol. dxviii. p. 575. 

 Madrepora conferta, Quelch, ' Challenger ' Eeef-Corals, p. 164, pi. x. fig. 3 ; Eathbun, Proc. U.S. Nat. 



Mus. 1887, vol. X. p. 13. 

 Madrepora hyacinthus, Quelch (non Dana), ' Challenger ' Eeef-Corals, p. 164. 

 Madrepora vastula, Quelch, ' Challenger ' Eeef-Corals, p. 165, pi. x. fig. 4 (non B.-Smith, A.nn. Mag. 



N. H. 1890, vol. vi. p. 455). 



Corallum pedicellate, vasiform or plate-like, about 3 cm. thick; either very shallow 

 {M. hyacinthus, Quelch) or funnel-shaped (M. vastula, Quelch). Main branches 1*5 cm. or 

 more in diameter, often laterally compressed, but those which appear on the under surface are 

 rarely over 5 to 6 mm. diameter, closely packed and intricately coalescent with narrow 

 elongate meshes. On the under surface there are numerous short ramiculi and proliferous 

 corallites not over 8 mm. long and the majority under 5 mm., some of the longer ones extend 

 obliquely from the sides of the branches, but the majority stand off at right angles (Quelch 

 says, " closely appressed into the plane of the frond ") . The under surface of the network 

 between the proliferations is supplied with erect tubular corallites 2 to 2'5 mm. long and 

 1*5 mm. diameter, with immersed and subimmersed ones between. The ''solid areas" 

 described by Quelch are probably accidental and cannot be considered as characteristic of the 

 species. The branchlets on the upper surface are short, erect, and very crowded, their apices 

 rarely over 5 mm. apart ; they are usually 8 to 12 mm. long and 4 to 6 mm. broad just below 

 the apex, but rather narrower below where the radial corallites are shorter; many are 

 proliferous, and those near the margin of the colony extend obliquely and may be longer. 

 Axial corallites about 1-75 mm. in diameter, 1 mm. exsert or a little more. Radial coral- 

 lites rather spreading, boat-shaped or broad, and curved labellate; wall thin and not 

 compressed, 1 to 1*5 mm. long and 1 mm. broad, or slightly more across the lip ; towards the 

 base of the branchlets the corallites are shorter and become immersed or subimmersed on the 

 branches. Corallum rather dense, but porous near the apex of the branchlets; surface 

 striato-reticulate and echinulate, wall striato-echinulate. The primary septa are all narrow 

 in the radial corallites, sometimes only the directives are recognizable. 



