228 
of corals belonging to the colonial Fungids. In his descriptions he 
did not use the Linnean nomenclature, but from his figures some 
particulars are easily to be recognised. In Seba’s work there are 
two figures of corals belonging to the present genus Herpolitha 
(figs. 3 and 5 of Tab. CXI) and there are represented two corals 
belonging to the present genus Polyphyllia (fig. 6 of Tab. CXI and 
fig. 31 of Tab. CXII). 
In Pallas’ (17QQ) Madrepora pileus three different forms, now 
belonging to the genera Halomitra, Herpolitha and Polyphyllia are 
United. Pallas distinguishes two forms; the form a includes the 
„Mitra Neptuni“ of Tourn efort (a highly arched specimen of a 
species of Halomitra), the „Mitra polonica“ of R u m ph i us 
mitra sp.), the „Pileus Neptuni“ of Seba (Herpolitha sp.) and 
the „Madrepora Pileus“ of Linnaeus’ Systema Naturae Ed. X 
(Halomitra sp.). The form /J is the „Umax saxea" of Rumphius 
and the „Talpa marina" of Seba, both representatives of the 
present genus Polyphyllia. 
The description of El lis and Solander’s Madrepora pileus 
(1786) is only applicable to the forms of the present genus Her¬ 
politha. According to these authors their species is a synonym of 
Madrepora pileus as defined in the 12th Ed. of the Systema Naturae, 
but in this latter work the species Madrepora pileus is a form of 
Halomitra. 
The same synonyms of Madrepora pileus which were enumerated 
by Pallas are given by Gmelin (1788) in the 13th edition of 
the Systema Naturae and the two forms a and are distinguished 
in the same manner as in Pallas’ work. The Madrepora pileus of 
Ellis and Solander is placed here under the form a. 
Esper (1797) describes as Madrepora Umax a form belonging 
to the present genus Herpolitha. His figure is that of El li s and 
Solander on a somewhat reduced scale. Esper regards as syno¬ 
nyms of his species the forms figured by Ellis and Solander 
on Tab. 45 and the one figured by Seba on fig. 5 of Tab. CXI, 
which are unmistakable representatives of Herpolitha, but besides 
these also the specimens figured by Seba on Tab. CXI, fig. 4 
(probably Fungia echinata) and fig. 6 (a Polyphyllia), and he places 
Gmelin’s Madrepora Pileus (Linnaei Syst. Nat. Ed. XIII), which 
contains representatives of Halomitra, Herpolitha and Polyphyllia, 
