THE*ANNALS 
AND 
MAGAZINE OF NATURAL HISTORY. 
| [SIXTH SERIES. ] 
No. 94. OCTOBER 1895. 
XL.—wNotes on the Madreporarian Genus Astreopora, as 
represented by the Specimens in the British Museum (Natural 
History). By H. M. Brernarp, M.A. Cantab., F.L.S., 
i... 
[Plate XIV. } 
THE genus Astreopora was founded by de Blainville in 1830* 
to contain specimens selected from Lamarck’s genus Astrea. 
In working over the same ground again for the publication 
(in 1836) of his ‘ Manuel d’Actinologie’ de Blainville trans- 
ferred one of his species of Astreopora to his genus Gemmipora 
(Turbinaria). This apparently suggested to him the possible 
close affinity between the two genera. Danat accepted this 
affinity, but with a note of interrogation; he evidently took 
it on authority, and in spite of its inconsistency with his 
principles of classification according to the methods of budding. 
The budding of Gemmipora he described as inferior, a 
description which could not certainly apply to that of Astreo- 
pera; hence his hesitation. No such grounds for hesitation 
existed in the system of Milne-Hdwards and Haime, and the 
two genera were definitely classed together by these authors 
in a subfamily Turbinariine, first in 1851}, and then by 
Milne-Edwards in the third volume of ‘ Les Coralliaires.’ 
This classification has persisted ever since, being accepted by 
* Dict. des Sciences Naturelles, t. lx. p. 348. 
+ ‘Zoophytes,’ p. 115. 
{ Les Polyp. foss. d. Terr. paleeozoiques, p. 141. 
‘Ann. & Mag. N. Hist. Ser. 6. Vol. xvi. 20 
