29. MELITELLA. 7 



thread-like, regularly anastomosing ; joints elongate ; internodes 

 swollen ; the bark with many imbedded spicules ; cells scattered. 



** Branches divaricated, reticulatety inosculating. 



' 76. Melitella retifera. B.M. 



Stem thick ; branches nodose at the joints, flat, ramulose ; branch- 

 lets divaricated, flexuous, rather reticulated, and very closely warty, 

 frequently anastomosed, articulations remote or deficient on the 

 twigs, very apparent on the branches, and close together on the stem. 

 Bark purple, or yellow with purple spots, or orange. Polype-cells 

 large, conical. 



Isis aurantia, Esper, Suppl. ii. t. 9. 



Isis coccinea, Esper, Suppl. ii. t. 10. 



Melitsea retifera, Lamk. Mem. \. p. 412, Hist. ed. 2. ii. p. 473 ; Lamx. 

 Polyp. Flex. p. 463 ; Ehrenb. Corall p. 131 ; Gray, P. Z. S. 1857, 

 p. 284, 1859, p. 486; Dana, Exp. p. 683; Kolliker, Ic. Hist. p. 142, 

 1. 19. f. 38, 39. 



Mopsella aurantia, Verritt, Mus. Comp. Zool. p. 38. 



Melitea retifera, Warne, Corallina, p. 231. 



Melithgea retifera, Milne-Edw. Corall. i. p. 200. 



Hob. Indian Ocean; Australia (Garret). 



77. Melitella textiformis. B.M. 



"Stem short, knotty, dividing considerably into very slender, 

 warty, anastomosing twigs, leaving lengthened meshes." Lamx. 



Melita3a textiformis, Lamk. Mem. Mus. \. p. 412 ; Lamx. Polyp. Flex. 

 p. 465, 1. 19. f. 1 ; Ehrenb. Corall. p. 131 ; Gray, P. Z. S. 1857, p. 285. 

 Melithaea textiformis, Milne-Edw. Corall. i. p. 201. 

 Melitea textiformis, Warne, Corallina, p. 231, 1. 19. f. 1. 

 Melitea retifera, var. ?, Dana, Zooph. p. 683. 

 Mopsella textiformis, Verrill, Bull. Mus. Comp. Zool. p. 38. 



Hob. South Seas. 



78. Melitella coccinea. B.M. 



Small, variously branched; branches very slender, tortuous, 

 divaricated ; branches diverging and anastomosed together ; articu- 

 lations obsolete, contorted ; cells scattered, conical. 



Isis coccinea, Ellis $ Solander, Zooph. p. 107, t. 12. f. 5 ; Gmel S. N. 



p. 3794 ; Esper, i. t. 3A. f. 5 (cop. Ellis). 

 Melitaea coccinea, Lamk. Mem. Mus. i. p. 413, Hist. ii. n. 4 ; Ehrenb. 



Corall. p. 131 ; Kolliker, Ic. Hist. p. 142, t. 15. f. 9, t. 16. f. 1, 2 ; 



Dana, Exp. p. 683 ; Gray, P. Z. S. 1857, p. 284, 1859, p. 486. 

 MelitEea Rissoi, Lamx. Polyp. Flex. p. 463 ; Expos. Method. Polyp. 



p. 38, 1. 12. f. 5 (from Ellis). 

 Melitea Rissoi, Warne, Corallina, p. 231. 

 Melithaea coccinea, Milne-Edw. Corall. i. p. 200. 



Hob. India ; New Holland. 



" Varies yellow, buff, rose-red, and scarlet colours." Dana. 



79. Melitella japonica. 



Coral low, spreading, dichotomous, branching, nearly on a plane ; 



