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abdita D. & M., which is not a synonym of Orbicella acropora, as Gregory states in his synonymy of 
the species. 
Cyphastrsea costata Duncan. The type from Barbuda preserved in the collection of the Geological 
Society of London is a specimen of Orbicella acropora. Some of the septa are cribriform almost to the 
corallite wall, while others extend as solid lamellae far into the corallite cavity joining the columella 
by septal processes; in fact, the columella is made up of these processes. The corallite walls are 
dense, and are united among themselves by costa? which are stout and correspond to all cycles of 
septa; diameter of corallites 3 to 4 mm., usually about 3.5. Exotheca well developed; the dissepiments 
extend straight across the intercostal spaces; two dissepiments to 1.5 mm. Distance between corallites 
1 to 2 mm., usually only about 1 mm. Almost any corallite of Orbicella acroptora will show the septal 
peculiarities of Duncan’s Cyphastrsea costata, so Duncan’s species is the exact equivalent of the former. 
A specimen, also in the Geological Society of London, from Santo Domingo, seems to be a Solenastrea,; 
the corallites are joined by a vesicular exotheca and differ in other ways from Duncan’s type. The 
specimens identified by Gregory from Barbados as Cyphastrsea costata are Orbicella acropora. The 
material studied by him is in the British Museum. 
Orbicella hyades is, according to Pourtales, 1 probably a Solenastrea. The Solenastrea hyades of 
Duchassaing is a Solenastrea, as an examination of the specimens in Turin Museum showed, and is not 
a synonym of Orbicella, acropora, as Gregory makes it. I was unable to find the type of Heliastrsea 
rotulosa in Turin, and as the work of Duchassaing & Michelotti is throughout so poor, the species 
can not be determined, so should be discarded altogether. Gregory places it in the synonymy of Orb. 
acropora, and so much as one can make out of the original description supports his reference. 
Some of the specimens of this species instead of being rounded heads, or more or less explanate, 
are small columns. One specimen from the elevated reefs of Curasao (K. Martin collection) is about 
90 mm. long and possesses a maximum diameter of 25 mm. Except in form, there is nothing abnormal. 
Plesiastrsea ramea Duncan, from Santo Domingo, is absolutely the same as this growth form of Orbicella 
acropora. I have examined the type in the collection of the Geological Society of London, and the 
officers of the society have kindly sent a duplicate to the IT. S. National Museum. Phylloccenia lirnbata 
Duncan is the same as the Plesiastrsea ramea (type, coll. Geol. Soc. Lond.). Phylloccenia sculpta 
Duncan (non Michelin) var. tegula Duncan, also from Santo Domingo, is an explanate form of Orbicella 
acropora. Except in form, it possesses no distinguishing characteristics, size of corallites, septa, costae, 
columella, exotheca, and endotheca as commonly in 0. acropora. (Type, coll. Geol. Soc. Lond.; 
duplicate in U. S. National Museum. ) Gregory’s Echinopora franksi from Barbados is only a specimen 
of the same species. At first I thought it could be separated from 0. acropora by its having solid walls, 
without exotheca between the corallites, but an examination of the splendid suite of recent specimens 
in the U. S. National Museum showed this to be only an individual variation. There is no character 
by which it can be separated from 0. acropora. (Type in British Museum; duplicate in TJ-. S. National 
Museum. ) 
There are three specimens of this species in the collection from Porto Rico; the largest is a head 
about 33 cm. high and 27 cm. in diameter. The calices are larger than is usual in the species, usually 
4 to 4.5 mm. in diameter, and the septa are thinner than usual. The members of the first and second 
cycles have very exsert margins. 
From Mayaguez. 
Family PAYI Ib-F Gregory. 
Type genus, Favia Oken. 
Salient family features the same as in the Orbicellidse, except that reproduction is by fission or 
septal budding. 
A large number of genera belong here, e. g., Goniastrea, Prionastrea ( =Favites Link, pro parte), 
Platygyra, Leptoria, Stiboria, Manicina, etc. 
Verrill’s Mxandrinidse , 2 in my opinion, is equal to Favidse. It has been shown in this paper that 
the original Meandrina of Lamarck is not the Mseandrina of Milne-Ed wards & Haime, Verrill, Duncan, 
and others; therefore the family name must be changed. 
The group of genera represented by Lithophyllia ( =Scolymia, Haime, the older name), Isophyllia, 
Mussa, etc., probably should be grouped in another, but closely related, family, or in a subfamily. 
i Mus. Comp. Zool., 111. Cat. No. iv, 1871, p. 77. 
2 Proc. Essex Inst., vol. iv, No. ix, 1865, p. 147. 
