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Show 952 ON CORALS FROM THE S.W. PACIFIC OCEAN. [Dec. 14, of the base between the branches, where they are very crowded, about *4 m m . Ccenenchyma well developed, the calices at the base of the branches being about their own diameter distant from one another ; its surface is sparingly covered with low pointed spines. The stereoplasm is little developed, and the cells can be traced deep into the corallum. Septa 12, of which the primary are more distinct, and meet the broad, low, somewhat rough and spinulous columella. Funafuti; outer reef. The larger specimen, on which this species is founded, is about 8 cms. in diameter by 4 cms. high, and is quite distinct from all the other living species ; it seems to form a connecting link to P. madreporacea of Lamarck, a fossil species from the Miocene formation of Turin. II. Genus SERIATOPORA, Lamarck. Seriatoporu, Lamarck, Hist. Anim. sans Vert. ii. p. 282. Seriatopora, Duncan, Bev. Madrep., Jour. Linn. Soc, Zool. vol. xviii. p. 47. 1. SERIATOPORA PACIFICA, Briiggemann. Seriatopora paclficap Briiggemann, Ann. & Mag. Nat. Hist. xix. 1877, p. 418. A small specimen resembles very closely tbe type specimen of this species. Its branches are, however, rather more divaricate, probably owing to their greater part having been killed by incrusting nullipores. Botuma; boat-channel. NOTE. Since this paper was written examples of three more species of Seriatopora have come to hand, viz.:- 1. SERIATOPORA LINEATA (Linnaeus). Milleporu lineata, Linnaeus, Syst. Nat. ed. xii. 1766, p. 1283. Seriatopora lineata, Klunzinger, Die Korallthiere d. Bot. Meeres, Th. ii. p. 71. The specimen of this species is a large branch, which appears to have been broken off from a clump, and then to have gone on growing as it lay, supported by its branchlets, on the sea-bottom ; the broken end has been covered over by the budding of the corallites round it, and two small branches have grown out, so that the fracture is almost completely obliterated. Sandal Bay, Lifu, Loyalty Islands ; 30-40 fathoms. 2. SERIATOPORA CONFERTA, Quelch. Seriatopora conferta, Quelch, Challenger Eeport on Beef-Corals, p. 63, pl. ii. fig. 1. Funafuti; 20 fathoms. A fragment. |