FAMILIES AND GENEEA OF THE MADEEPOEAEIA. 35 



CHAPTEE II. 



The family Oculinidse restricted to its definite limits. The discoreries of 

 Milne-Edwards and J. Haime, Verrill, and H. IST. Moseley. The necessary aboli- 

 tion of the StylasteridjB as a group of Zoantharia Scleroderma ta. The soft 

 parts of typical Oculinidae. Alliances of the family. Descriptions of genera. 



The family Pocilloporidse. The necessity for its foundation. 



The genera Pocillopora and Seriafojpora. 



Family OOULINID^, Ed. # H. (pars). 



The next group of the Madreporaria Aporosa to be con- 

 sidered is one which has been greatly extended by Verrill* and 

 restricted by Milne-Edwards and Jules Haime f, 'md which 

 requires great modification in consequence of the discoveries of 

 Prof. H. N. Moseley, E.E.S.+ 



The Oculinacea of Yerrill cover much more ground than tlie 

 Oculinidse of Milne-Edwards and Jules Haime, and the family 

 of the Oculinidse now to be established is very restricted, the 

 Hydrocorallinse of Moseley having been of course removed. 

 Vei rill considers his Oculinacea a suborder; but the group as 

 now restricted can only be of family importance. 



Verrill § includes seven families in a suborder — the Oculinacea, 

 some of which can hardly remain thus associated owing to recent 

 advances in morphology. He gives some most valuable informa- 

 tion regarding the soft parts of the corals, and very aptly places 

 the genus FociUo^ora, generally classified with the Tabulata, in 

 his suborder. He also associates the genus StylopJiora with the 

 suborder. 



Milne-Edwards and Jules Haime || described a group of genera 

 which they formed into a family, the Oculinidae, and it contained 

 three subgroups, one of which now belongs to the Hydroco- 

 rallinse, Moseley, and it omitted some of the groups included 

 subsequently by Verrill. 



In the suborder Oculinacea of Verrill the polyps, when 

 expanded, rise above the calice, and may be long and exsert, the 



* 'Notes on Radiata,' 1868-71, p. 612. 



t Hist. Nat. des CoraU. vol. ii. p. 102 (1857). 



\ ' Challenger ' Eeport, 1880, and Quart. Journ. Micr. Sci. no, 88, p. 391 

 (1883). 



§ ' Notes on Eadiata,' 1868, p. 512. 



II Hist. Nat. des Corall. vol. ii. p. 102 (1857), and previously in * Comptes 

 Rendus,' 1849 



3* 



