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73
Genus Coseinaraea MILNE EDWARDS and HAL\1E, 1848
T Y pes p e c i e s : Astrea monile FORSKAL, 177 5.
The g e n e r ic c h a r act e r s are already summarized. In Red Sea the single species of this genus,
that is known to occur, displays bewildering skeletal variation, that one may be tempted to make three
or four "species" from a good collection of specimens. However, we name all our specimens as C. monile.
Madrepora
Coscinaraea
Meandrina
A straca
Coscinaraea
Coseinaraea monile (FORSKALl, 1775
( Plat~ IS . Figs. 7, 8)
manile I77S . FORSKAL. 133 (Ty p~ locality: R~d Sea) .
manile 1879. KLUNZINGER 3. 79,pls. 9/4 , 10/ 17 • . b (synonymy).
1892. ORTMANN. 651.
1906. , . MARENZELLER. 90, pI. 24/83.
1907 •. VAUGHAN. 260; pis. 2J/l. 2, 24/ 1- 3.
1922. , . d. HORST. 423.
1924. MATTHAI. 57 ; pI. 7/ 1.
1941 . CROSSLAND. 30; pI. 5 (low" fig.) .
1971 . LOVA & SLOBODKIN. 123 .
1974. MERGNER & SCHUHMACHER. 264.
1976. PILLAI & SCHEER. 42.
1980. HEA D. 150.451.
don1lani 1905. GARDINER. 950, pI. 90/ 12.
fabyrimbicQ 1828. AUDOUIN (& SAVIGNV). 58, pI. 5/4.
maeandrina 1834. EHRENBERG. 322.
mea"drina 1860, MILNE EDWARDS (& HAIME). 204 (synonymy).
1889. ORTMANN. 495.
osrreae/ormis 1922. v. d. HORST. 424; pI. 32/ 5,6; and figs. 1. 2 on p. 425.
We select representative specimens to describe the skeletal variations displayed :
NS 8683 is an encrustation over a dead colony of the same species. Corallites 5 to 7 mm in diameter,
all monostomodaeal, deep (J to 2 mm), 5 to 6 mm apart. This specimen agrees to GARD INER's description
of C. donnani from the Maldives.
NS 4898 is hemispherical, thick. Corallites mono- or distomodaeal, i. e. with very short valleys with
not more than two columella ce ntres running together. This specimen exactly and in detail resembles
FORSKAL's type figured by CROSSLA D (194 1 l.
Other four specimens (EC 158, 497 , LR 828 and NS 5396) possess long meandriform valleys with
up to 15 small calicinal centres in an uninterrupted valley. These might agree to C. meandrina (EHREN­
BERG) which is the same as Meandrina labyrinthiea AUDOU IN (& SAVIGNV). A good representation of
this form is found in MATfHAl 's (1924) plate 7 , fig . 1.
PW 73575 looks very pecularly. It lVas collected from a depth of 50 m. The calices are very shallow,
arranged in long superficial valleys. The collines between the valleys are not more than 2 mm high . The
septa are very thin and c1ose-set. The septal dentation and granules at the sides are very fine . The coral
has a smooth appearance when compared with other specimens. It is a thin encrustation over a dead
layer. This specimen almost approaches C. ostreaefonnis HORST from the deep water of Providence
Island . The present specimen as well as the ho lotype of C. ostreaeformis are only deepwater ecomorphs
of C. monile.
Mat e rial :
Gulf of Suez:
Gulf of Aqaba:
J erus.
T . Aviv
J erus.
T . Aviv
Basel
Northern R. S.: USNM
HLM
Central R. S.: P. Sud .
SLR
NS
SLR
S
PW
Wa
EC
Sa
828 (Et Tur).
8205 , 8206,8682,8683 (EI Bilaiyim).
398 (Marsa Murach).
5396, 5429 (Eilat); 4898, 4904 (Wassit).
71324, 73573,73575 (Eilat, 40- 55 m); 71347 (Fara'un lsI., 40 mi.
34 , 35 (Ghardaqa).
497 (Safaga Isl.); 158 (Koseir, duplicate from KLU ZINGER).
92 (Sa nganeb R.).