140 MADEEPORARIA. 



17 cm., breadth 21 cm. Peripheral branches short, 2"5 cm. long, subsimple, the others in- 

 creasing in length and diameter towards the centre ; central branches 2 era. thick, divided 

 into five main divisions at the same level, each of which is a little over 1 cm. diameter and 

 again subdivided ; ultimate branchlets slender digitiform, with a very blunt apex ; about 

 3 cm. long and 7 mm. diameter, very slightly tapering. Axial corallites 3 to 4 mm. diameter, 

 hemispherical, aperture very small. Radial corallites distant, thick, nariform or tubo- 

 nariform, 3 mm. long and 2"5 mm. wide, but narrower and pointed near the apex ; some are 

 completely tubular and indicate new proliferations. The axial corallites are provided with 

 six moderately developed septa, the directives a little broader than the others ; in the radial 

 corallites the directive septa are very broad and the other four quite narrow. Corallum 

 moderately porous in section ; surface and wall strongly and closely echinulate throughout. 



The type specimen in the Paris Museum forms part of M. Botta's collection from the 

 Red Sea. The label bears the name M. pharaonis, M. -Edwards & Haime, but the specimen 

 is so unlike the types of that species that it seems improbable Milne-Edwards would have 

 included it under that name. The species resembles M. fruticosa and certain specimens of 

 M. seriata somewhat in habit, but has distant corallites of different shape. 



Red Sea. {Paris Museum.) 



143. Madrepora amblyclados. 



Madrepora cf. glohiceps, Ortmann, Zool. JB. 1888, Bd. iii. p. 151 (part.). 



Madrepora plantaginea, Ortmann (non Lamarck), Zool. JB. 1888, Bd. iii. p. 151 (part.). 



Corallum cespitose from a broad base, 10 to 15 cm. high and about 18 cm. broad. Main 

 branches 2 cm. thick, bearing digitiform branches 2 to 2'5 cm. long and 1 to 1"3 cm. thick, 

 more divided in some specimens than in others. Axial corallites 3o to 4'5 mm. diameter, 

 occasionally 5 mm., scarcely exsert; wall very thick, aperture round or oval, 1 to 1'2 mm. 

 when round. Radial corallites ascending, tubular, with a moderately thick wall and very 

 oblique aperture, but the inner part of the wall is rarely absent excepting in young corallites ; 

 length of the outer part of the wall 3 mm. or a little over ; diameter a little variable, usually 

 about 2 mm. Directive septa broad, the others rudimentary. Corallum moderately porous ; 

 surface spongy-echinulate ; wall faintly striate, echinulate near the base. 



Four out of the five specimens doubtfully referred to M, globiceps by Ortmann appear 

 to me to belong to this species. The fifth (Indian Ocean, Conrad) is referred to M. platy- 

 cyathus. The Singapore specimen referred by Ortmann to M. plantaginea should probably 

 be referred to this species also, but the branchlets are more proliferous at the apex and the 

 radial corallites have scarcely so thick a wall as in the other specimens. 



Indo-Pacitic Ocean : Indian Ocean (2 sp.) ; Singapore (2 sp.) ; Australia (1 sp.) {Stras- 

 burg Museum). 



