OCR Text |
Show 944 MR. J. S. GARDINER ON CORALS [Dec. 14, ' 5. POCILLOPORA DAMICORNIS, Esper. Madrepora damicornis, Esper, Pflanz. Forts, i. p. 43 ; Madrep. pl. xlvi. A. Pocillopora damicornis, Quelch, Challenger Eeport on Beef- Corals, p. 66. A small clump and a large number of fragments were obtained, which correspond closely to Esper's description and to the ' Challenger' specimen. The lower branches in the clump tend to anastomose freely. The columella varies from a large oval to a round low projection, covered with short blunt spines. Botuma; outer reef. 6. BOCILLOPORA BREVICORNIS, Lamarck. Pocillopora brevicornis, Lamarck, Hist. Anim. sans Vert. ii. p. 275. Pocilloporu brevicornis, Dana, Zoophytes, p. 526, pl. 49. fig. 8. There are three low rounded clumps of this species 5-7 cms. high, and almost flat-topped. A Loyalty Islands specimen differs from the type in having shorter and rounded verrucae. Delicate spinulous striatious can be distinguished in most of the calices of the verrucae, and represent the septa. Funafuti; outer reef. Lit"u, Loyalty Islands. 7. BOCILLOPORA PULCHELLA, Briiggemann. Pocilloporu pulchella, Briiggemann, Journ. Mus. Godeffroy, Bd. iii. p. 203. A single branch was obtained, which resembles very closely in all respects the type specimen of this species in the British Museum. Botuma; outer reef. 8. BOCILLOPORA LOBIFERA, Milne-Edwards & Haime. Pocilloporu lobifera, Milne-Edwards & Haime, Corall. iii. p. 304. There are two specimens, which seem to represent the species thus named by Milne-Edwards and Haime. Corallum closely resembles that of P. brevicornis in its mode of growth, consisting of much crowded branches little enlarged or divided towards their summits, which are covered over by small narrow verrucae, generally less than 2 mms. high : the verrucae on the sides of the branches lower down are often much longer, but retain almost the same diameter. The calices of the ends of the branches are very small •5-*7 m m . in diameter, angular and relatively very deep ; on the verrucae thev are larger but seldom exceed *9 m m . in diameter. The ccenenchvma between the corallites nowhere exceeds the half of their diameter in breadth ; its surface is covered somewhat sparsely with low spines, which tend to form striatious between the calices. Septa and columella can seldom be distinguished. |