﻿164 MADEEPORAEIA. 



The tubercles, singly or in groups, only appear in close relationship with the protuberant 

 membranous calicles, so that the whole surface appears covered with protuberant calicles, 

 their walls being made of large papilla-like tubercles. 



There are 16 pieces of this coral, consisting of whole symmetrical leaves and fragments of 

 leaves, together with thick, bent and distorted plates ; these appear to be parts of a large stock, 

 or cluster of leaves. The variation presented by these fragments is marvellous : at least four 

 types could be made out of them. They all came together as one specimen, and close com- 

 parison shows that they shade off into one another and in spite of all their differences belong 

 to one and the same type. Great variability of the fronds forming these foliate clusters is 

 what we have already learnt to expect from M. foliosa. The tubercles in these specimens 

 only appear on the flatter and thicker leaves and on the distorted growths : the connection 

 between the thin flat ridges and the tubercles is very marked. 



a. (In sixteen pieces.) Torres Prof. A. C. Haddon. 97. 3. 9. 206. (Type.) 



Strait. 



134. Montipora hirsuta. (PI. XXXIV. fig. 16.) 



DescHption. — Corallum, complete form unknown, probably dish-shaped with turned up 

 edges, which are very friable and of varying thickness, from 3 to 5 mm. ; from the floor of the 

 stock, tall, thin upgrowths, often only 3 mm. in diameter and 3 cm. high, rise up either singly 

 or fusing into plates and into solid cliff-like formations. The sloping edges of the stock rise 

 freely without epitheca. 



The calicles are conspicuous, irregularly scattered, and vary greatly in size, the largest 

 and most protuberant being slightly less than 1 mm. in diameter. Those raised slightly 

 above the others are frequently surrounded by thin, membranous, funnel-shaped ramparts, the 

 edges of which run out into long hair-like points. The aperture generally sharply circum- 

 scribed, with petaloid interseptal loculi and either short primaries with very rudimentary 

 secondaries, or primaries and secondaries nearly equally developed, but all short, the fossa 

 being large and conspicuous. In individual calicles, a columella-like body appears in the 

 base of the fossa and is sometimes- very large^ conspicuous, and fused with the edges of the 

 septa. On the under surface, the calicles are very numerous and vary greatly in size, the 

 larger often with slightly raised ring-like margins, the smaller being mere pores with a radiate 

 arrangement of surface granules suggesting the septa. 



The coenenchyma is very friable ; tJie streaming layer is thick, open, and laminate ; where 

 it forms the growing edges it is very delicate and friable. The streaming layer rises in very 

 tHn membranous ridges which are often merely horizontal rows of sharp hair-like points ; the 

 young calicles are often surrounded by such thin ragged walls. On the thicker part of 

 the corallum, the thin ridges give place to fine tubercles which fray out into thin flame- 

 like points. Small compact groups of calicles, raised and surrounded by membranous 

 ramparts, may rise higher and higher above the surface to form the tall, thin, stick-like 



