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Corallu m encrusting, thin, greater spread 5 cm, thickness at the broken edge 1 cm. At the underside,
particularly at the periphery, the fasciculate nature of the corallites can be seen. Surface level, intercorallite
wall fused, with occasional oval or circular gaps, where the fusion of the thecal wall is incomplere.
Corallites oval, penta- or hexagonal , 4 to 6 mm in diameter, about 1.5 mm deep. Intercorallire wall 1 to
1.5 mm thick . Septa generally in twO cycles, in larger corallires a set of spi ny tertiaries visible. The first
two cycles subeq ual, exsert to I mm . Exser! ends vertical, edges microscopically serrared . Sepra have a
deep cleft, without conspicuous paliform lobes. Septa thickened at the wall , sides granular. Columella
similar to that of B. merleti. \0 to 12 septa reach the columella. An epitheca is visible at rhe underside
of the corallum .
Material:
Gulf of Aqaba : T . Aviv NS 6067 (Eilar , 20 m).
Dis t rib uti 0 n : Known only from Red Sea.
Rem ark s: Biastomussa loyae is a very well defined species. The major disrinctions from the two
other Blastomussa species are the growthform and the details of the corallites and septa. Head placed this
species under a subgenus Ceriomorpba.
Additional rem ark s to another genus of the family Mussidae:
Genus Parascolymia WELLS, 1964
HEAD (1980: 153, 466) reports on six specimens of P. vitiensis from the reefs off Pon Sudan. We
have nOt seen these specimens, but we know rhe close similarity of the species with young srages of
Lobophyllia, therefore we mention this unusual observation only with some doubrs.
Family Pecriniidae VAUGHAN and WELLS , J 94 3
The family is represented by five genera , viz Mycedium, Echillophyllia, Oxypora, Pectinia and
Physophyllia , all of them are very closely related. The generic status of some of these are nor beyond
doubt. Pectinia and Physophyllia are hitherto not known from Red Sea, the other three are di scussed in
this work.
Synopsis of rhe genera of Pecriniid ae from Red Sea:
I . CoraHum explanate or foli aceous. Corallires nariform, i. e. rhe wall raised up o nly on one side ... . . . .
. ... .. .. . .... ... . .......... . . . . .. . . . . ... ..... . . .. .. . ... . ... . .. .. . . ... Mycedium
2. Growrhform similar w Mycedium, bur lhe corallire wall is little raised up , if projecring, then equally
on all sides. A central mother calyx often visible . . .. ..... .. .. .. . ..... .. . . . .... Echinophyllia
3. Corallum foliaceous. Folia conwned, growing edges with slitlike perforarions. Corallites wirhour
projecring wall .. .......... . ... ......... . .. . . ..... . . .. .. .. . . . .... . . .... ... . Oxypora
Genus Mycedium OKEN, 1815
T Y pes p e c i e s : Madrepora elepbantotus PALLAS, J 7 66.
G e n e ric c h a r a c r e r s: Colonial, explanate, growing edges rising to form thin folia. Corallites
6 W 12 mm in diamerer, only one side of the wall projecring (up w 8 mm), i. e. rhey are nariform. Sometimes
part of the corallites cylindrical. Coenosteum costare.
Mycedium elepbantotus (PALLAS), 1766
(Plate 36 , Figs. 1, 2)