36 MADREPORARIA. 



GEOGRAPHICAL ARRANGEMENT OF THE FORMS. 



Group I.— POLYNESIA. 



Containing descriptions or records of Goniopora from — New Guinea (1-2) ; New Ireland (1) ; Solomon 

 Islands (1-4) ; Queen Charlotte Islands (1) ; Loyalty Islands (1) ; Fiji Islands (1) ; Tonga Islands 

 (1-3) ; Samoa (1). 



1. Goniopora New Guinea ( 2)1. 



[Bay of Doreh, X.W. corner of Great Geelvink Bay, coll. Voyage de ' 1' Astrolabe '; 



? Paris Museum.] 



Goniopora pedunculata, Quoy and Gaimard, Voyage de ' PAstrolabe,' iv. p. 218 ; Atlas, Zoophytes, 

 pi. 16, figs. 9-11. 



Description (from original text and figures). — The single specimen of corallum roughly 

 hemispherical, about the size of the fist, with a narrowing base covered with bands of pelli- 

 cular epitheca. 



The calicles are crowded, 2 mm. in diameter, polygonal, tending to become hexagonal 

 [shown nearly square in the magnified drawing]. The walls are vertical, unequally denti- 

 culate, granulated and rough. The septal apparatus irregular. The interior of the stock 

 " areolar," and showing a sort of " confused crystallisation." 



The polyps are a beautiful yellowish-green ; extend 4-6 mm. above the calicles. 



Only one specimen of this coral was found and figured by the authors. But there are 

 three specimens in the Paris Museum of a coral labelled G. pedunculata, and the one numbered 

 1755 is apparently that which Milne-Edwards and Haime described. But it is hardly the 

 coral described and figured by the original authors. It is flatter at the top, and has not any- 

 thing like so deep a base as that figured by Quoy and Gaimard ; nor are the edges of the living 

 growth covered by a pellicular epitheca spreading apparently evenly up the sides, but roll 

 under round the base. Further, this specimen has a great number of large double calicles, 

 none of which are shown in the original figure of Quoy and Gaimard, although they are a 

 striking feature, and specially mentioned by Milne-Edwards and Haime ; they are described 

 as being 4-5 mm. in diameter, whereas, if this is the specimen referred to, they are only 

 3-3*5 mm. in diameter. They also show clear traces of a fourth cycle of septa, which Milne- 

 Edwards and Haime said was rarely the case. The specimen can hardly be called " hemi- 

 spherical" (Q. and G.) nor does it suggest the term "sub-lobate" of M.-E. and H. 



