GEOLOGY AND PALEONTOLOGY OF THE CANAL ZONE. 



483 



ACROPORA PALMATA (Lamarck). 



1816. Madrepora palmata Lamarck, Hist. nat. Anim. sans Vert:, vol. 2, p. 279. 

 1893. Madrepora muricata forma palmata Brook, Brit. Mus. (Nat. Hist.) Cat. 

 Madrep. corals, gen. Madrepora, p. 25. 



1900. Madrepora palmata Gregory, Ann. and Mag. Nat. Hist., ser. 7, vol. 6 t 



p. 29. 



1901. Jsopora muricata forma palmata Vaughan, U. S. Fish Com. Bull, for 1900, 



vol. 2, p. 313, pis. 26 and 27. 



1902. Acropora muricata var. palmata Verrill, Conn. Acad. Arts and Sci. Trans., 



vol. 11, p. 166. 



1915. Acropora palmata Vaughan, Washington Acad. Sci. Journ., vol. 5, pp. 597, 



598. 



1916. Acropora palmata Vaughan, Nat. Acad. Sci. Proc, vol. 2, pp. 95, 100. 

 1916. Acropora palmata Vaughan, Carnegie Inst. Washington Yearbook No. 14, 



pp. 227, 228, 229, 230. 



Localities and geologic occurrence. — Costa Rica, Pleistocene at 

 station 6251, Monkey Point, collected by D. F. MacDonald. Also 

 in the slightly elevated reefs around Colon Bay. 



Acropora palmata is of general occurrence in the elevated Pleisto- 

 cene coral reefs of eastern Central America and the West Indies; 

 and is present on the living reefs of the same region and in Florida. 

 In places, as hi the Bahamas, it is one of the most important reef- 

 forming corals, its strong skeleton enabling it to withstand the pound- 

 ing of breakers. 



Genus ASTREOPORA de Blainville. 



1896. Astraeopora Bernard, Brit. Mus. Cat. Madreporaria, vol. 2, pp. 77-99. 

 1918. Astreopora Vaughan, Carnegie Inst. Washington Pub. 213, p. 145. 



Type-species. — Astrea myriophthalma Lamarck. 



ASTREOPORA GQETHALSI, new species. 



Plate 140, figs. 3, 4, 4a. 



Corallum composed of rather large, subterete, subelliptical, or 

 much compressed branches. The following are measurements of 

 four broken branches: 



Measurements of branches of Astreopora goethalsi. 



Branch No. 



Length. 



Diameters of 

 lower end. 



Diameters of 

 upper end. 



1 



mm. 

 85 

 134 

 154 



186 



mm. 



27 by 56 



42 by 52 



32bv44 



16 (thick) ... 



mm. 

 26 by 71 1 



2 



28 by 55 



3 



28 by 65 



4 



25 by 94 







1 Width at bifurcation 22 mm. below upper end. 



Calices subcircular or more or less distorted. Diameter ranges 

 from 1 mm. in young, to 2 mm. in large calices, usual diameter from 

 1.5 to 2 mm. Distance apart from 1 to 1.5 mm. Calicular rims 



