172 



PEOF. P. MAETIN DUNCAN's EEVISION OF THE 



Section MADEEPOEAEIA PEEEOEATA, Ed. Sf E., amended. 



Corallum composed entirely or nearly entirely of porous or 

 reticulate coenencliyma. Visceral cavities intercommunicating, 

 and not shut off from the surrounding medium. Septa either 

 well developed, solid or slightly or much perforated, or repre- 

 sented by trabeculse only. Dissepiments may or may not exist, 

 and tabulsD also. Soft parts filling the porose sclerenchyma. 

 Calices with a disk, tentacles, and interseptal mesenteries. 



There are three families of the Madreporaria Perforata : — 



I. The EupsAMMiDJE (subfam. Ed, & H.). 

 II. The Madrepoeidye, Ed. & H. (pars). 

 III. The PoRiTiD^, Ed. & H. 



Eorty-two genera aud five subgenera are included in these 

 families. Twelve genera have been eliminated, but five become 

 subgenera. 



I. Family EUPSAMMID^. 



This family includes the very important and now very large 

 group which was considered to be only worthy of the position of a 

 subfamily by Milne-Edwards and Jules Haime (Eupsamminse, 

 Hist. Nat. des Corall. vol. iii. p. 90, 1860). 



The genera included have a very characteristic facies ; and 

 although their structures, both hard and soft, ally them most 

 definitely with the Madreporaria Perforata, they are not without 

 some afiinities with the Eungida. The soft parts differ from the 

 corresponding structures of the Eungida. 



Tliis distinction of the soft parts is important, for some of 

 the species of Eupsammida) have hard structures, which act as 

 synapticula, and resemble, to a certain extent, the corresponding 

 structures of some of the Plesiof ungidae. Notably this is the 

 case in Etqysammia and Stej^JianojoJii/Ilia. Moseley's researches 

 indicate that this last very fungoid-looking genus is clearly not 

 one of the Eungida, for the soft parts diff'er (Eeport on Corals, 

 H.M.S. ' Challenger,' p. 203). 



Family EUPSAMMIDA. 

 Syn. Ewpsammince, Ed. & H. 



Perforate Madreporaria, simple or in colonies. The corallite 

 walls usually have costse formed of sclerenchymatous nodules 



