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BULLETIN OF THE UNITED STATES FISH COMMISSION 
marked, but the members of the first and some of the second are usually larger than the others. The 
youngest septa are much smaller than the bounding older ones. The amount of exsertness and the 
thickness of the septa are variable, but the septa could scarcely ever be characterized as very thin, 
although they sometimes are quite thin. The septal margins are irregularly and rather jaggedly 
dentate, and bear near the columella an irregular, jagged, paliform tooth. Costae correspond to all 
septa and show a variation in size corresponding to that of the septa; they are rather acute, not very 
or only fairly prominent, and have their margins pointedly dentate, the dentations on the costae being 
more regular than those on the septa. The columella is rather large, very spongy, and usually forms 
a flatfish bottom to the fairly deep calice. 
From east of Fort Taylor, Key West (Dr. Edward Palmer, collector), is a lot of 32 specimens. 
These in general differ from the Curagaoan specimens by having thinner walls between the corallites, 
1.5 mm. being about the average thickness; in some specimens the adjoining calices are separated 
by merely a rim, by having the calicular margins not or scarcely perceptibly elevated, and by having- 
very often narrow corallites with a tendency to become sinuous. One specimen possesses a calice 
6 mm. long and less than 2 mm. wide. The intergradation between these specimens and those 
from Curasao is seen to be perfect when some specimens from Key West (collected by Hemphill) ancl 
Tortugas (collected by Palmer) are placed between them. There is no need to cite more specimens, 
except one from St. Thomas (collected by the Albatross expedition). This specimen would be 
referred to Favia incerta D. & M. It is an irregularly capuliform mass with a greater diameter of 
50 mm., a lesser of 46, and a height of 38. It has the general appearance of the ordinary F. fragum, 
except that over the whole upper surface of the colony the walls are thin and simple. Instances 
of simple walls have been cited before, but in no case did such occur over the whole upper surface of 
the specimen. Around the edges the specimen from St. Thomas has assumed the form of wall usually 
found in F. fragum, so that if one had a piece broken from the edge, especially at one particular end, 
he would immediately pronounce it F. fragum. 
From the above discussion one might think this species has no criterional characters; but it has, 
and they are quite definite. They are: (1) The size and shape of the colony; (2) the size and shape 
of the calices; (3) the number of the septa; (4) the septal dentations, the pali, and the character of 
the columella. This gives a number of characters, and throws over only the basis on which Duchas- 
saing & Michelotti attempted to differentiate the species. 
Yerrill has described 3 species of Favia from Hartt’s Brazilian collections. 1 They are Favia 
leptophylla, Favia gravida, and Favia conferta, all three from the Abrolhos Reefs. We have in the 
U. S. National Museum, from Brazil, 29 specimens of this group of Favia, and upon them and Verrill’s 
original description I base the following remarks. The features by which the species would be 
separated among themselves are: 
F. leptophylla Septa 24 to 30, calices circular or deformed, about 0.25 inch in diameter. 
F. gravida Margins elevated the same as F. leptophylla, except that there are four complete cycles of septa. 
F. conferta Possesses narrow, long meandriform calices, usually series, with several calicinal centers. 
There are no specimens of F. leptophylla, in the IT. S. National Museum. The other two species, 
in my mind, grade into each other, showing a variation in prominence of calicular margins and thick- 
ness of wall between adjoining corallites similar to what has been described for F. fragum. The 
essential specific characters are (1) the number of septa, usually at least four complete cycles — i. e., 
they are more numerous than in F. fragum; (2) the calices are nearly alw'ays larger, or at least longer, 
than in fragum, and may be so long and sinuous that they are meandriform ; when the calicular 
margins are free and elevated, they rise perpendicularly from the common surface of the corallum; 
(3) the septal dentations seem very much more regular than in F. fragum. There are points of resem- 
blance between fragum and the Brazilian species, but the two seem to me very distinct. I would 
suggest that of Verrill’s two names, gravida and conferta, applied to the Brazilian species, conferta be 
suppressed and gravida be used as the specific designation. 
As I have seen no specimens of F. leptophylla, I can express no opinion upon it. 
The three specimens of Favia fragum in the Porto Rican collection present no special characters 
worthy of note. The size of one is, greater diameter, 26 mm.; lesser, 24 mm.: height, 18 mm. Two 
specimens, preserved in alcohol, came from the Playa de Ponce. 
1 Trans. Conn. Acad. Sci., vol. I, 1868, pp. 353, 355. 
