294 
BULLETIN OF THE UNITED STATES FISH COMMISSION. 
Family 0CULINID7E Milne-Edwards & Haime. 
Genus OCULINA Lamarck, 1816. 
Oculina diffusa Lamarck ? var. PL i, figs. 5, 5a. 
1816. Oculina diffusa, Lamarck, Hist. Nat. Anim. s. Vert., t.. ii, p. 285. 
1880. Oculina diffusa, PourtalOs, Mem. Mus. Comp. Zool., vol. vn, pi. in, figs. 10, 11, 12. 
A number of specimens of this species are in the collection from stations 6097, off Humacao, 
village of Humagao; 6087, off Culebra, Point Mula light- house; 6092, off Vieques Island, Culebritas 
light-house; 6093, off Culebra, Culebritas light-house. Bathymetric occurrence, 10 to 16 fathoms. 
These specimens differ from the typical diffusa by having the branches more attenuate and more 
slender; one branchlet measures 2 cm. between bifurcations, and possesses a diameter of oidy 3 mm. 
The appearance of these specimens is so different from the usual diffusa of the Florida reefs that I at 
first, thought them a distinct species, but a study of the splendid suites of specimens in the United 
States National Museum has caused me to believe that they may be only varieties of the same thing. 
I doubt very much if Oculina pallens Ehrenberg can be kept separate, in spite of what at first- appear 
important differences. This suggestion is based upon studies of Ehrenberg’ s types and the material in 
the United States National Museum. The only difference between the Porto Rican specimens and 0. 
pallens consists in the corallites of the latter being not so prominent as those of the former. The pali of 
the Porto Rican specimens are the same as in 0. pallens. The same is true of the costse. As yet I 
have not studied sufficient material to have a definite opinion about the relations of the species. The 
data preliminary to the revision of all the West India species of Oculina have been accumulated, but 
an opportunity for working them out has not yet come to hand. 
Family STYE0PH0RID7E Verrill. 
Genus AXHELIA Milne-Edwards & Haime, 1849. (-|- MADRACIS Milne-Edwards & Haime.) 
Type species: Axhelia myriaster Milne-Edwards & Haime. 
Type species of Madracis: Madracis asperula Milne-Edwarde & Haime. 
1849. Axhelia, Milne-Edwards & Haime, Compt. Rend., t. xxix, p. 69. 
1849. Madracis, Milne-Edwards & Haime, ibid., t. xxix, p. 70. 
1861. Reussia, Duchassaing & Michelotti, M6m. Corall. Ant., p. 63 (of reprint). 
1871. Pentalophora, Saville-Kent, Proc. Zool. Soc. London for 1871, p. 283. 
1884. Madracis , Duncan, Jour. Linn. Soc. Lond., vol. xviii, p. 45. 
1 am unable to discover any criterional differences for the separation of Axhelia (subsequently 
spelled Axohelia) from Madracis. Milne-Edwards & Haime 1 in speaking of the species of Madracis state : 
“Elies representent dans cette division aberrante les Axhelia, de la familie des Oculinides, ayant 
des cloisons et- une columelle a pen pres semblables; mais leur coenenchyme, quoique tres dense, est 
d’une structure differente, et les chambres des polypierites ne tendent pas a se remplir par l’envahisse- 
ment du tissu mural.” 
The only tangible difference is, in Axhelia the visceral chambers fill up by the encroachment of 
the wall, while in Madracis “the chambers of the corallites do not tend to become filled by the 
invasion of the mural tissue,” but this is weakly expressed. In young calices of Axhelia the visceral 
chambers are open, but they are filled in older calices. The figure of Madracis asperula given by 
Milne-Edwards & Haime are from a young specimen.' 2 
Axhelia asperula ( Milne-Edwards. & Haime). PI. i, fig. 4, and PI. xvii, fig. 2. 
1849. Madracis asperula, Milne-Edwards & Haime, nom. nud., Compt. Rend., t. xxix, p. 70. 
1850. Madracis asperula, Milne-Edwards & Haime, Ann. Sci. Nat., 3ieme s6r., Zool., t. xm, p. 100, pi. iv, figs. 2, 2a. 
1857. Madracis asperula, Milne-Edwards & Haime, Hist. Nat. Corail., t. n, p. 139. 
1871. Madracis asperula, Pourtales, 111. Cat. Mus. Comp. Zool., No. iv, p. 27. 
1880. Madracis asperula, PourtaEs, Bull. Mus. Comp. Zool., vol. VI, No. 4, p. 108. 
Several specimens from station 6087, off Culebra, Point Mula light-house, agree with both the 
figures and the description given by Milne-Edwards & Haime, except that the calices are smaller, 
slightly less than 1.5 mm. in diameter. Bathymetric occunence, 15^- fathoms'. 
1 Ann. Sci. Nat., 3Eme s6r., t. xm, 1850, p. 100. 
- Ann. Sci. Nat., t. sup. eit., pi. iv, figs. 2, 2a. 
