118 Mr. H. T\T. Bernard on the 



Astra'ojjora, form the family Madreporidse, enables me to 

 summarize the conclusions arrived at as to the inter-relation- 

 ships of these genera. That summary will constitute the 

 concluding part of this paper. 



The Genus Montipora. 



This genus differs in many remarkable points from either 

 Madrepora^ Turhinaria ^ or Astrceojjora^ and doubts as to its 

 affinities are, as we shall see, very prominent in the works of 

 former students. Though founded by Quoy and Gaimard, 

 the name appeared first in print in de Blainville's ' Diction- 

 naire des Sciences naturelles,' t. Ix. (1830), the author having 

 seen it in ]\1S. He placed the new genus between Gemmi- 

 jpora (= Turhinaria) and Aladrepora and among a number of 

 other genera, including Porites. 



In 1834 Ehrenberg* suppressed the genus, distributing 

 the species among the Porites. Dana, in 1848, re-established 

 and greatly enlarged the genus, but changed its name to 

 Mano2Jora. He objected that the Avord Montipora referred to 

 the coenenchymatous elevations of the surface, which were 

 not universally present. He thought that the genus Mano- 

 pora was closely allied to Madrepora, and, in fact, could be 

 deduced from it by the degeneration of the protuberant 

 calicles. 



In 1849 Milne-Edwards and Haime removed it from the 

 Madreporida3 and placed it among the Poritidge, and to this 

 airangement they kept in their monograph of the Poritidas in 

 1851 1 ') they there noted, however, that Montipora showed 

 certain structural resemblances (" quelques rapports de forme") 

 with the Madrepores. 



Prof. Verrill at first adopted Milne-Edwards's arrangement, 

 but eventually followed Dana in placing the genus among 

 the Madreporidse. 



Briiggemann apparently came to no conclusion. In two 

 papers which appeared after his death the genus is variously 

 placed. In one the Montiporidge followed the Madreporidse 

 and Poritida^ ; in the other Montipora occurs with Porites^ 

 Turhinaria^ &c. under the Madreporidse. 



Prof. Studer, in 1878, followed Milne-Edwards, but in 

 1880 adopted Dana's classification so far as to class Monti- 

 ptora with Madrepora, Klunzinger also follows Dana in this 

 respect. 



* ' Corallenthiere des rothen Meeres.' 

 t Anu. d. Sci. Nat. ser. 3, xvi. p. 21. 



