CATALOGUE OF LITHOPHYTES OR STONY CORALS INTHE COLLECTION OFTHE BRITISH BY J. E. GRAY, F.R.S. ETC. LONDON: PRINTED BY ORDER OF THE TRUSTEES. 1870.
BIOLOGY LIBRARY G PRINTED BY TAYLOll AND FRANCIS, REDLIONCOURT,FLEETSTREET.
PEEFACE, THE object of the present Catalogue is to give a List of all the genera and species of the family of the Stony Corals, or Lithophytes, known to exist in the collections of Europe and America. The letters B.M. after the specific names denote those species that are now contained in the Collection ; and the absence of those letters indicates the species which are desiderata, and therefore desirable to be procured for the collection.
This is the second part of the ' Catalogue of Polypes and their Corals.' The other Parts are in preparation.
J. E. GRAY.
BritishMuseum, July 8, 1870.
182110
OFTHE { UNIVERSITY i CATALOGUE OF LITHOPHYTES OR STONY CORALS.
Class POLYPES OR CORALLIARIA.
Order I. ZOOPHYTARIA.
Suborder II. RUPICOL^J.
Coral social, tree-like or expanded, fixed by an expanded base, supported by more or less abundant, fusiform, calcareous spicules. The mass of polypes or corals often supported by a central calcareous or horny tree-like axis with an expanded base. Living attached by the base of the coral and axis to rocks &c. on the sea-shore. Polypiers corticiferes, Lamk. A. s. V. ii. p. 288. Polypes corticaux, Cuvier, R. A. 1817, iv. p. 78. Corallea, Blainv. D. S. N. Ixx. p. ; Man. cCAct. p. 501. Gorgoniadae, Johnston, B. Z. p. 182 ; Gray, List of Brit. An. in B. M. i. p. 55.
Gorgonidae, Dana, Zooph. p. 637. n. 181. Ceratocorallina, Ehrenb. Corall r. M. 1834, p. 142. Coralliadse, Gray, Syn. B. M. 1840, p. 134. Gorgonidae, MUne-Edw. $ Haime, Corall. i. p. 134 j Kolliker, Ic. Hist. p.135.
I. Polypes social, growing closely side by side, forming a fleshy crust, the young polypes being developed from the ends of the branches, or in the centre of the disk.
Section I. Axifera.
Social polypes, supported by a central horny or calcareous axis, and attached to marine bodies by the expanded base of the axis, and the mass of polypes.
B
2 AX1FEEA.
Gorgoninse, Milne-Eihv. fyHaimc, Corall.i. p. 134; Ko'llikcr, Ic. Hist. p.135.
" The polypes are short, cylindrical, connected laterally by a porous coenenchyma at their bases, by a common membrane, and by specialized longitudinal canals, and arranged around a firm central axis, which is secreted from the common basal membrane. The communities are attached to foreign bodies by the expanded base of the central axis." — Verrill, Mem. Boston Soc. Nat. Hist. 1862, i. Synopsis of Suborders.
I. Lithophyta. The axis calcareous, continuous or separated transversely into joints.
II. Ceratophyta. The axis horny, continuous.
III. Solenophyta. The axis expanded, coriaceous, foliaceous, folding into a more or less perfect tube, with tubular branchlets.
IV. Suberophyta. The axis soft, cork-like, with interspersed spicules, sometimes so numerous as almost to form the entire axis.
Suborder I. LITHOPHYTA or LITHOPHYTES.
Coral aborescent. Axis calcareous, continuous or jointed, effervescing with muriatic acid.
Lithophyta (Lithophytes), Gray, P. Z. S. 1857, p. 282. The axis is generally entirely stony and hard, and usually of a white colour ; but in Corallium it is generally deep bright red, but sometimes pink or white. It is usually solid, and formed of concentric laminae. In Melithcea it is cavernous, pierced with cylindrical tortuous canals.
Synopsis of Families.
I. Axis jointed, calcareous; articulations spongy, swollen. 1. MELITH^ADJE. Joints and articulations with tubular canals. 2. MOPSELLAD^;. Joints solid, reddish, articulations red, spongy ; branches from the spongy articulations.
3. TRINELLAI^E. Joints solid, white, articulations spongy ; branches from the solid joints.
II. Axis jointed, calcareous ; articulations narrow, horny, or cork-like.
4. MOPSEAD^E. Branches from the cartilaginous articulations. Bark thick ; cells conical.
5. ACANELLAD^:. Branches from the cartilaginous articulations. Bark and cells spinous.
MELITHJ5AD2E. 6 6. KERATOISLD^. Branches from the stony joints. Bark and cells spinous.
7. ISIDJE. Branches from the stony joints. Bark thick ; cells minute, scattered overfall the surface, sunken.
III. Axis continuous, calcareous; the apex of the branchlets calcareous. 8. CORALLIDJE.
IV. Tlie axis continuous, hard, corneo-calcareous ; the apex of the branchlets often horny and flexible.
a. Baric granular, thin ; polype-cells more or less prominent. 9. ELLISELLADJE.
b. Baric formed of imbedded calcareous spicules ; cells prominent, covered with spicules, and adpressed to the sides of the stem. 10. HYPNOGOEGIADJS.
c. Baric formed of scales ; polype-cells prominent. 11. CALLIGORGIADJE. Polype- cells tubular, in series on the sides or round the branches.
12. CALYPTROPHORAD^:. Polype-cells peduncled, formed of two cones, in whorls round the stem.
13. PRIMNOAD^:. Polype-cells peduncled or sessile, covered with scales, in whorls round the stem.
Section I. Axis articulated, calcareous, stony ; articulations swollen, spongy or cork-like; buds and branches from the swollen articulations. Fam, 6. MELITH^AD^E.
Coral branched, on a plane ; branches furcate, often anastomosing. Axis articulated, permeated by flexuous cylindrical canals, interrupted by harder swollen calcareous articulations ; the joints and articulations at length solidifying into a continuous hard axis permeated by small tubular canals. Bark granular. Polypiferous cells small, in series on the edge of the stem and branches. Melitsea, Lamx. Polyp. Flex. 1816, p. 461 ; Lamk. Mem. Mus. i. p. 410; A. s. V. ii. p. 270.
Melithsea, Milne-Edw. Corall i. p. 199.
Melitea, Warne, Corall p. 229.
Melitfeadffi, Gray, P. Z. S. 1857, p. 284 ; Ann. $ Mag. Nat. Hist. 1859, iv. p. 442.
Dr. Kolliker calls the canals in the axis tf food-canals."
4 MELITH^EADJE.
28. MELITHJEA.
Coral fan-like, expanded, forked ; branches subparallel, often parallel and inosculating ; buds and branches from the swollen articulations. Bark granular, rather thick. Cells small, not prominent, in two series on each side of the branches and branchlets, leaving the upper and lower surfaces bare or nearly so (see Espcr, t. 21. f. 1, 2, 3). The axis of the branchlets rather solid, calcareous, of the lower joints pierced with numerous tortuous pores.
Melitaea, Ehrenb.
Melithaea, Lamk. A. s. V. ii. p. 279.
Isis, sp., Pallas.
Melitodes, Verrill.
The name Melitcea having been used for a genus of insects by Fabricius in 1808, four years before it was employed by Lamouroux, Mr. Verrill proposed Melitodes for the genus as restricted by Gray, P. Z. S. 1859, p. 485. (Verrill, 1. c. p. 38.)
" The axis is jointed like that of Isis ; but the horny matter is so small in quantity as only to suffice to hold together the numerous spicula of which the calcareous part of the axis is composed. These spicula are of a reddish colour in the more solid parts of the axis, those on the surface being larger and darker than those in the centre, as shown at B ; but those on the joints are of a yellow colour and smaller, as shown at c." — Quekett, Lectures, Histology, ii. p. 127, f. 66.
70. Melithsea ochracea. B.M.
" Rather forked, very branchy, expanded, fan-like ; joints swollen ; branches and branchlets erect, flexuous, free." — LamJc. The axis of the stem thick, calcareous, pierced with numerous very tortuous pores; the articulations prominent, spongy; they become obliterated with age, especially near the root. Accabarium rubrum, Humph. Amb. vi. p. 234, t. 85. f. 1. Pseudocorallium croceum, Rai. Hist. Plant, i. p. 63. Accabaar, Seba, TJies. iii. t. 101. f. 1.
Lithoxylum ramosum, Linn. Hurt. Cliff", p. 480. Corallium rubrum, Ellis, Phil Trans. 1. p. 188, t. 3. Isis ochracea, Linn. Syst. Nat. ed. 10. p. 799 ; Pallas, Zooph. p. 230 ; Solander $ Ellis, Zooph. p. 105 ; Esper, i. t. 4. f. 4«, 1-3, Suppl. t. 11 ! f. 1, 2 ; Gmelin, S. N. p. 3793.
Melitsea ochracea, Lamx. Polyp. Flex. p. 462 ; Deslony. Enc. Meth. p. 512 ; Lamk. Mem. Mm. i. p. 413 ; A. s. V. ii. p. 279 ; Meyen, Nov. Act. Leop. xvi. t. 29 ; Ehrenb. Corall. p. 131 ; Meyen, Nov. Act. Nat. Cur. xvi. p. 168, t. 29; Gray, P. Z. S. 1857, p. 285, 1859, p. 485; Dana, Exp. p. 682; Kolliker, Ic. Hist. p. 142, t. 19. f. 37, 40, 43. Melitea ochracea, Warne, Corall. p. 230.
Melithsea ochracea, Milne-Edw. Corall. i. p. 199. Melitodes ochracea, Verrill, Bull. Mus. Comp. Zool. p. 38. Coral orange-red; cells rather produced, bright cinnabar-red, rather far apart.
a. Coral bright yellow, with purplish-red cells ; cells in two or three rows, chiefly confined to the sides of the branchlets.