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diameter, walilirrle elevated, rouching ro 5 mm aparr. Primary septa about 1 mm exserr with one or two
frosted teeth at the exserr parr. Costae are represented by 2 ro 3 spines on the wall, beyond that the
perithecal costae are indistinct or they are su nk. Bur in one specimen their course is marked by low spines.
Furrher examples of this facies: X2 :2-14; EC 315 , 486, 487 .
Material :
Gulf of Suez: Jerus. SLR 826, 833, 8 39, 2 138, 2141 , 2 143 , 2149 (Et T ur).
T. Aviv S 1903, 3206 (Et Tur); 8 192 (Ras el Kanisa).
HLM X2 : 1- 6 (Ras Shukheir).
Gulf of Aqaba : jerus. SLR 1065- 1,2 (Fara'un Isl. ); 369-1, 2, 370, 372, 378, 389a, 39 1 (Marsa
Norrhern R. S.:
T. Aviv
Basel
J erus.
USNM
HLM
Murach) ; 2287 (EI Hamira) ; 11 7 1 (Marsa eI MuqeibIa) ; 453 (EI Kura);
644 (Marsa Abu Zabad).
S 6 341 ,8373 ,8375 (Eilat); 1924,1925 (MarsaMurach) ; 1897, 4921,
4932 , 49 38,4966, 4986 (Dahab); 4807,4842,4881,4882 (Ras Atanrur);
1854 (Shurat el Manqata).
PW 7 3585 , 597 (Fara'un Isl.) ; 7 3 697 (EI Kura) .
SLR 813 ( Ras Muhammad).
Wa 85,86,87, 108 , 109 (Ghardaqa).
X2: 2-3,9, 14 , IS , 3- 11 , 12 , 36 (Gubal lsl.).
EC 431 (S hadwa n Isl.); 486, 487 (Ras Abu Sum.); 503 (Safaga Isl.);
78 ( Koseir, duplicate from KL UNZ INGE R as E. ehrenbergi); 315, 31 6,
317 , 318, 319 (Ras Abu Hagar).
Central R. 5.: HLM EC 1380 (Djiddah).
P. Sud. Sa 13 , 21 , 33 , 43 , 60,69,79 (Sanganeb R.).
US M Wa 88, 89 (Dongonab).
HLM RM 25, 25a, 26, 27 , 28, 28a, 101 (Wingate R.).
X2 : 8- 23 (Shaab Anbar).
Southern R. S.: HLM X2 : 9- 1, 13 - 9, 10 (Sarso Isl.).
EC 405,406,407 , 408,409, 4 10 (Massawa).
D is t ribution : Red Sea; East Africa; Seychelles; Madagascar (PI CHO N, 1964); Reunion ; East
Indies (UMBGROV E, 19 39) ; New Caledonia; Loyalty Isis.; Great Barrier Reef.
R e m a rk s: It is interesting ro note that the present set o f specime ns displays a wide range of skeletal
variations parricularly in the growth form. Specimens with highly exserr primary septa and very conspicuous
costal spines resemble E. !Jirsutissirna. The foliaceous growth with miniature colonies at the underside
is si milar ro that reporred for E. larnellosa by BOSCHMA (1928) and BOSCHMA & VERW EY (1930).
The fron d with upward digitiform branches is similar ro E. borrida. The specimens with protruding,
co nical corallites correspond ro Orbicella rnarnrnillosa KL UNZINGE R and ro E. fors kaliana (MILNE
EDWARDS & HAIM E) from WIJ SMA N-BEST (1980).
These all show that the growthform in thi s genus is subjected ro much va riation within the species,
that this alone is not a reliable specific criterion. We are convinced that, besides E. larnellosa, all other
Echinopora fo rms from Red Sea, listed in the synonymy, belong ro only one species, ro E. ge rnrnacea.
Genus Plesiastrea MILNE EDWARDS and HAIME , 1848
T Y pes p ee i men : Astrea versipora LAMARCK, 1816.
G e n e r ic c h a r act e r s: Corallum rounded , flat or encrusting. Plocoid with circular corallites of
about 3 mm in diameter, produced by extratenracular budd ing. In front o f all major septa are true palis,
arranged in form of two crowns in most of the cal ices. This is the most striking character o f t he genus.