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Herpolitha Eschscholz. 
The genus Herpolitha was founded by Eschscholz (1825) for 
the colonial eiongated Fungids (Lamarck’s Fungia limacina and 
talpina). Afterwards (1849) Milne Edwards and Haime created 
a new genus, Cryptabacia, the type-species of which was Fungia 
talpina Lamarck. The species Herpolitha limacina was formerly 
described by Esper (1797) as Madrepora Umax and has therefore 
to keep the name Herpolitha Umax (Esper). 
Most of the species of Ehrenberg’s genus Haliglossa are 
representatives of the genus Herpolitha, viz. H. interrupta, limacina, 
foliosa and stellaris. Two new species of the genus (Herpetolithus 
strictus and crassus) were described by Dana (1846). Now all 
these described species of Herpolitha differ in minute details of 
structure which are moreover subject to strong variation. In some 
specimens the septa are crowded, in others more distant. The 
thickness of the septa, the size of the septal dentations and costal 
spines, the width and depth of the central fossa are characteristics 
used to distinguish the dilferent forms of Herpolitha as definite 
species. In H. crassa the secondary calicles on the side of the disc 
are as a rule more distinet and have more clearly radiating septa 
than those of H. Umax. In my opinion this is a result of the faet 
that the specimens referred to H. crassa in most cases are the 
older, thicker ones, and in these specimens the calicles next to 
those of the central fossa indeed are very regularly built. But in 
the marginal part of the same specimens the calicles show no 
difference at all with those of H. Umax. The differences in thickness 
etc. are also found in many species of Fungia, but these are very 
variable characteristics, usually due to external influences. Moreover 
there are intermediate specimens between the different forms as 
also Van der Horst has remarked. On account of the reasons 
given above I place all the before-mentioned species of Herpolitha 
in the synonymy of H. Umax, as this has been done before by 
M i 1 n e - E d wa r d s and Haime (1851), Ortmann (1888) and 
Van der Horst (1921). 
The two species Herpolitha (Fungia) simplex Gardiner and 
Fungia weberi van der Horst are in the adult stage only known as 
colonial forms and they have therefore to be removed from the 
