178 MADEEPORAEIA. 



191. Madrepora cardnus. 



Madrepora carduus, Dana, Zoophytes, p. 464, pi. xxxvi. fig. 2 ; M.-Edwards & Haime, Coralliaires, 

 t. iii. p. 149 ; Studer, MB. Aiad. Wiss. Berlin, 1878, p. 532 ; Mobius, Beitr. z. Meeresfauna 

 Mauritius, p. 45 ; Eathbun, Proc. U.S. Nat. Mus. 1887, vol. x. p. 12. 



The foUowing is a summary of Dana's description : — 



Corallum arborescent, resembling M. echinata in habit, but the branches are more 

 closely subdivided and the corallites are much shorter. Corallum 46 cm. high, 6 to 7"5 cm. 

 wide below and 15 cm. above, where the branches are divided into a large number of closely 

 ascending branchlets. Proliferous branchlets 2*5 cm. long, 2 to 4 mm. thick. Axial 

 corallites tubular, only 2 to 3 mm. exsert ; radial corallites appressed tubiform or round- 

 nariform, wall very finely striate. 



Studer's ' Gazelle ' specimen has the branches 9 mm. thick and the lateral branchlets 

 1 to 2*5 cm. long. A few, but very few, are simple and tapering ; the majority bear short 

 appressed tubular radial corallites. The axial corallites usually bear buds to within 2'5 mm. 

 of the apex ; diameter 1'3 mm. at the apex, margin scarcely rounded except in old corallites. 

 Corallum very dense ; surface closely tabulato-echinulate ; wall finely echinulate. 



Indo-Pacific Ocean : Fiji, New Britain, ? Australia, ? Malacca, Mauritius. 



?a. Australia. Sir E. Home, Bart. [P.]. 54. 4. 14. 22. 



7 b. Malacca. Sir E. Belcher [P.]. 42. 11. 30. 19. 



192. Madrepora striata. 



Madrepora striata, Verrill, Comm. Essex Inst. 1866, vol. v. p. 24. 



"Corallum subarborescent ; closely branched and much divided above, covered on all 

 sides with crowded lateral branches, which are much smaller on one side of the trunk, 

 indicating that the coral grew in an oblique or horizontal position. The branchlets on 

 the lower side are numerous, about half an inch long, abruptly spreading, and consist of a 

 cluster of several elongated, leading corallites, with a few smaller lateral ones. On the 

 upper side, towards the end, the branches become from 1 to 2 inches long, slender and much 

 divided, the subdivisions always spreading at a large angle like the branchlets themselves. 

 On all sides of the trunk and large branches, immersed cells occiir of rather large size. 

 Terminal corallites elongated, tubular, considerably exsert, the exterior nearly costate, with 

 pores between the ribs ; walls but little thickened, cells but little larger than the lateral 

 ones, deep, with 12 narrow septa. Lateral corallites large, open, tubuliform or somewhat 

 cochleariform, opening upwards, not crowded or appressed, the exterior costate; the costae 

 with minute short spines. Cells large, with a well-marked star of 6 septa, and often with 

 minute ones of the second cycle between ; two of the principal septa meet in the middle. 

 Coeneachyma very firm, with scattered irregular pores, the surface minutely spinulose. 



