528 MB. J. STANLEY GARDINEB ON FTJNGID [June 21, 



is one large central polyp with radiating septa ; then, as growth 

 proceeds, a number of oaliciilar fos.saj appear around this. On 

 becoming free, the central polyp may perhaps persist, or, as in ray 

 specimens, may become indistinguishable from the daughter polyps, 

 the septa gradually losing their regular radiating arrangement in 

 the centre of the colony. 



1. Halomitea irbegulaeis, n. sp. (Plate XLIII. figs. 1, 2.) 

 Corallum subcircular or somewhat irregular, slightly convex 

 above and concave below, heavy and thick. Under surface dense 

 and little perforated, with no distinct costse, but closely covered by 

 low, blunt, extremely granulated papilliie, in places forming low 

 clusters. CaHcular fossae in the young colony arranged round a 

 large deep central fossa, but in the older colonies equal in size and 

 irregularly arranged in the central parts, only radiatmg near the 

 edges of the corallum. Caheular fosste generally somewhat oval in 

 shape and in the centre 6-12 mm. distant from one another. Septa 

 very distinctly radiate on the outer parts of the corallum, but 

 towards the centre of the colony 6-12 large, thick septa can be 

 distinguished radiating in all directions from tlie calicular fossae, 

 with a like number of low, thin septa between ; these are continu- 

 ous between the difterent fossae, but the radiatuig arrangement of 

 the septa of the colony in the centre is very imperfect. The large 

 septa are relatively thick with granular sides ; their free edges are 

 very evenly covered by blunt denticulations, l-l'o mm. high and 

 12-14 in 1 cm. The axial fossse are deep and have no columellte. 

 Funafuti ; lagoon shoals to leeward. 



Of the two specimens in the collection the smaller is a nearly 

 round disc about 12 cm. in diameter by 4-5 cm. high. The under 

 surface is very slightly concave with an oval-shaped area in the 

 centre, surrounded by a groove where apparently the disc was 

 broken off from its nurse stock. 



The larger specimen is 18 cm. long by 13 cm. broad and 7 cm. high, 

 oval in shape with the edges irregularly bent. The under surface 

 is slightly concave with several deep grooves, from which two nurse 

 stocks grow outwards. The smaller of these is about 1-5 cm. high, 

 with the calice about 8 mm. broad and somewhat turned upwards 

 and inwards, so that its inner half is incomplete, while in the outer 

 half primary, secondary, and tertiary septa can be distinguished. 

 The larger nurse stock is about 3 cm. high by 4 cm. broad at the 

 top and 2 cm. at its lower end, Mhere it is rather constricted. It 

 consists of a single large calicle whh a central axial fossa, 1-5 cm. 

 deep. From this 5 cycles of septa can be distinguished radiating 

 to the circumference. ' These are broken, however, in 6 or 7 places 

 wdiere daughter caheular fossse are being formed, the corallum 

 underneath the new polyp raouth being absorbed or ceasing to be 

 formed, so that a fossa results. 



Generally on the upper surface of the corallum the large septa 

 are very regular in appearance, bending inwards towards the 

 ends of the daughter fossae. Near the edges of the colony the 



