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seyebellensis, which was later followed by PILLA I, VINE & SCHEER (1973). WljSMAN-BEST (1972)
opined that Prionastrea seyebelle11sis MILNE EDWARDS & HAIME is a Favites , according to MATTHAI
(J 914) it is near to Favia favus. CHEV ALI ER (1971) merged GOl1iastrea australensis with G. peetinata, but
VERON et al. (1977 ) kept them separate. The only major distinction between these two are in the form
of the corallites, that is, in G. pectinata majority of the calices is monocentric . However , it may be noted
that many specimens of G. plal1ulata (= peetinata) have meandering valleys, though shorter than in G.
australensis.
More about G. sey ebellensis ee unter the following "Additional remarks".
Additional rem ark s to the genus Goniast'rea :
Prionastraea sey cbellensis MILNE EDWARDS & HAIME, 1849 , 132 .
MILNE EDWARDS and HAIME'S type of Prionastraea seycbelle1/Sis is, according to CHEVA LI ER
(1971: 189) a badly preserved specimen . Therefore the opinion of different authors about the taxonomic
position of this species is very heterogeneous.
KLUNZ INGER (1879) named it Goniastraea seycbellensis; his fig. 3, pI. 4, has much resemblance to
fig. 6 (above), pI. 6, of CROSSLAND (1948), which we put to Goniastrea australensis. FAURE & PICHO
(1978) have examined the type of CROSSLAND'S figured specimen and consider it as different ftom
MILNE EDWARDS and HA IME'S type.
ORTMANN has mentioned G011iastraea seycbellensis three times (1888, 1889 and 1892) from Red Sea.
In 1888 he gave this name to a Goniastraea balieora in the Srrassbourg Museum , one of KLUNZINGER 's
duplicates, which were acquired by several museums . We have in HLM such a duplicate, toO , EC 7 l , which
we list under Favites balicora.
MATTHAI (1914 : 122) had no doubt that Prionastraea seycbellensis and EHRENBERG's Astraea
deformis belong together, and he referred them with a query to Favia favus (I9 l4: 80). CHEVALIER
\ 1971) supposed Prionastraea seycbellensis is related to Favites abdita, and afterwards WljSMAN-BEST
( 1972) and VERON , PICHON & WljSMAN-BEST (1977) put it definitely to Favit es abdita.
Two specimens of Prionastraea seycbellensis in BMNH were placed to Favites peresi by FAURE &
PICHON (1978). These authors have located in the Paris Museum another specimen of this name with a
number of BMNH and labelled as holotype from the Seychelles, which they put to Favia favus.
Because of this diversity of opinions it is not possible to give a generally valid synonymy of Prionastraea,
or Goniastrea resp ., seycbe//ensis. Due to this uncertainty it may be the best to suppress the
specific name seyebellensis in connection with any faviid coral.
Goniastrea bombroni (RouSSEAU ), 1854, 122; pI. 28/3, 3a.
SCHEER ( l967, 432, figs. ll , l2) has reported Goniastrea bombroni from the Red Sea (X2 : 9- 19).
He referred to Favia bombroni by GARDINER (1904, 771; pI. 62/27 ) and MATTHA I (1914, 107 ; pis.
2611 , 2; 33 12). Later on SCHEER & PI LLAI (1974 , 51; pI. 2411 - 4) added G. bombroni from the Nicobar
Islands. Bur all these forms do not belong to bombroni se nsu ROUSSEAU . HisParastraea bombronii (1854)
is identical with Favia ste//igera, stated by ROSEN (1971,80) who refers to WELLS, and by CHEVALIER
(1971 , 162 and 168), and confirmed from WIjSMAN-BEST (1977 , 20). P. bombronii and F. stelligera
have rounded calices separated from each other, whereas the above mentioned forms are cerioid with
polygonal calices, whose septa continue from one calyx to the other. We put these forms for the present
to Goniastrea retiformis, and therefore we have listed X2 : 9- 19 under " Material" of this species.
Genus Platygyra EHRENBERG, l834
Ty pes p e c i e s: Madrepora (Platygyra) lamellina EHRENBERG, 1834, = Madrepora daedalea ELLIS
& SOLANDER , 1786 .
Generi c characters: Massive, meandroid, valleys enclosed between thin, perforated , acute
collines. Width of valleys 5 to 7 mm , depth about so much. Monocentric corall ites so metimes present.
Septa slightly exsert, continuous over the wall ; edges dentate. Columella trabecular, continuous .