﻿TUBERCULATE MONTIPOR^. 157 



thicker and with smoother surfaces. Sometimes interspersed among the leaves, rough awl- 

 shaped processes with conical points and bearing calicles are met with — apparently of the 

 same substance as the leaves. Very frayed and torn fragments also occur, but being of 

 essentially the same structure they are to be accounted for by accidental distortion. Some 

 specimens, again, consist of only a few large coiled leaves not unlike the cup corals figured by 

 Seba and Gaultier.* 



In 1786, EUis and Solander applied the name foliosa to a coral from Mauritius, which 

 may perhaps have been identical with one of the many Montipores seen by Pallas. 



In 1797, Esper found it necessary, in describing the species, to illustrate it by reproducing 

 the figures of Seba, Ellis and Solander, and also that of Turgot which Pallas had specially 

 commended as ' scon bona.' 



In 1816, Lamarck somewhat hesitatingly limited the name /oZiosa to Ellis and Solander's 

 specimen, giving the name rosacea, to the cup corals of Seba and Gaultier. These, he said, 

 were not rare, but their form was remarkable. 



Since that date it is. probable that many foliate Montipores have been labelled /oZiosos, 

 although a few new names have been suggested, e.g. grandifolia of Dana, eocesa and 

 lichenoides of Verrill ; and further, the Agaricia lima of Lamarck was recognised by de Blain- 

 ville as a Montipore and classed next to foliosa by Milne-Edwards and Haime. 



Examination of the foliate Montipores in the National Collection has revealed certain 

 fairly well marked differences, in spite of a most bewildering variability not only in the 

 forms of the leaves, but also in the surface markings ; the latter seems largely to depend 

 upon the form and position of the leaves and their subjection to or freedom from crowding. 

 The separate leaves of a stock which has been hindered from growing symmetrically might 

 supply one with many species. 



After many vain attempts to arrange the foliate Montipores in the National Collection 

 under the different specific names found in the literature, viz. foliosa, lima, rosacea, 

 grandifolia, exesa, and lichenoides, I found it necessary, after separating M. circinata and 

 M. solanderi, to divide the rest into two main groups, one under the old na.Tae foliosa and the 

 other under the name crassifolia. 



In the former, the leaves are thin, spirally coiled, forming rather sharp cones, e.g. the cup 

 coral of Seba. 



In the latter, the leaves are thick and bending upwards form together deep bowl-shaped 

 coralla. The upper edges of the leaves are generally greatly crumpled and torn, and sometimes 

 run out into tall ragged ends. The spiral coiling is always traceable at the lateral edges of 

 the leaves and elsewhere. 



Among the representatives of the former group gi-eat differences occur in the prominence 

 or subordination of the longitudinal ridges, but it was impossible to classify them, owing to the 

 gradual transitions and to the variations obviously due to the accidental positions of the leaves. 

 A satisfactory classification will only be possible when we have longer series of specimens 

 including those which show the early stages of growth. The latter are especially needed, in 

 order to explain how the intercoiled clusters of spiral leaves come into existence. On this 

 point see below the description of specimen r. 



* For references see the synonymy. 



