TRIBE lit. MADREPORACEA. 485 



others proliferous and acervate, others very short, but none obsolete ; 

 exterior striate. 



Plate 43, fig. 1, corallum, natural size; 1 , extremity of branch; 1 

 b, profile of calicle. 



Tahiti, Society Islands. Exp. Exp. 



This species grows like the following. The branches below are 

 more or less coalescent laterally, and look rough from the unequal 

 calicles. Some of the branches are six inches long, and irregularly 

 bent, but not tapering. 



61. MADREPORA CUSPIDATA. (Dana.) 



M. subcespitosa, ramis paucis, I" crassis, subsimplicibus, 2-6" longis 

 longeque cuspidatis, basi solido recte surgentibus. Corallum ramis 

 secunde caliculatis, caliculis breviter sublabellatis, fragilibus, divarica- 

 tis, aliis cellis immersis spar sis ; stetta sex-radiatd, conspicud, duabus 

 lamellis prominulioribus. 



Subcespitose, several nearly simple, long cuspidate branches, an inch 

 thick, and 2 to 6 inches long, rising from a common solid base. 

 Corallum having the calicles prominent only on one side, short 

 sublabellate, erect, and fragile, with immersed cells interspersed ; 

 star six-rayed, distinct, two of the lamellae the most prominent. 



Plate 42, fig. 1, corallum, natural size; 1 a, extremity of a branch. 



Tahiti, Society Islands. Exp. Exp. 



The specimen in the collections is a coarse clump of stout branches, 

 nearly bare of calicles on the inferior side, and regularly tapering to 

 an obtuse apex. It is about ten inches high, and eight broad, with 

 the base three inches through. The cells of the calicles are round 

 and about a third of a line broad ; the immersed cells are one-fourth 

 of a line or smaller. 



122 



