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Dis t rib uti 0 n : A wide-spread species from Red Sea along the east coast of Africa throughout the
Indo-Pacific as far east as Tahiti and Hawa ii .
Genus Herpolitha ESC HSCHO LTZ, 1826
Type specimen: Madreporalimax ESPER , 1795.
G e n e ric c h a r act e r s: DU NCAN (1884 : 145 ) defined the genus thus : " The corallum is free,
long, narrow, and compound . The upper surface has calices of two kinds - one set occupy a long central
axial line and are multilamellar, and the other set are placed irregularly, have few lamellae, and are small.
The septo-costal rays are long and stout, and alternately thick and thin, and all are entire. No rays reach
from rhe axial furrow to the circumference. The base is concave, perforated and echinulated. Synapticula
regular, numerous, oblique, tall , and wanting here and rhere. Columella trabecular. "
Herpolitha limax (ESPER) , 1795
(Plate 21. Fig. 1)
Madrepora [imax 1191. ESPER. 11; PI. 63.
Herpetolitba limax 1860. MILNE EDWARDS ( & HAI ME), 24 (synonymy).
1889. ORTMANN, 518.
Herpolitba limax 1909. GARDINER. 284 ; pIs. 38/ 20- 23 ; 39/ 24. 25 .
1921 , v. d. HORST, 67 (synonymy).
1911 . LOVA & SLOBODKIN. Ill.
1914. MERGNER & SC HUHMACHER. 265.
1974. SCHEER & PILLA!. 39 (synonymy),
1916. PILLAI & SCHEER. 45.
1979, SC HUHMACHER, 210.
1980. VERON & PICHON. 118, figs. 294- 299.
1980. HEAD. 150. 453.
crassa 191 8. VAUGHAN . 129; pIs. 5111. h ; 54/ 1.
/ o/ioSil 1819. KLUNZINGER 3. 68; pI. 8/4. 5.
1906. v. MARENZELLER, 89.
1909. GARDINER. 282; pIs. 36/ 14.15; 31.
Haliglossa / OJiOSll 1834. EHRENBERG. 275 (No. 789 in M useum Berlin).
interrupta 1834. EHRENBERG . 275 (No. 785 in Museum Berlin),
limacintl 1834. EHRENBERG. 215.
stet"'ris 1834, EHRENBERG. 215.
We have five specimens in the present collections. RM 76 and 77 are elongated, the fo rmer with a
total length of 18 .5 cm and the latter 13 cm . The axial fossa in both the specimens do not extend to the
extremities. The secondary calices on the surface are conspicuous.
PW 73 629 is a regenerated specimen . It has three lobes, the axial fossa extends to all the three.
M a ter i al :
Gulf of Aqaba: Basel PW 73629 ( El Kura , 20 m).
Northern R. S.: T. Aviv S 5947 ( Ras Muhammad).
Cenrral R. S.: P. Sud . Sa 9 1 (Sanganeb R.).
HLM RM 76, 77 (Wingate R.),
D i s tr i but io n : Red Sea ; Indian Ocean; in the Pacific as far east as Cook Isis . (STODDART & PI LLAI,
1973 ), Tahiti and Tuamotu Archipelago.
Genus Podabacia MILNE EDWARDS and HAIM E, 1849
Type spe c imen : Madrepora crustacea PALLAS, 1766.
G e n e ric c h a r a c t e r s: Colonial fungiid with a foliaceous corallum attached at the adult stage.
Underside costate, Secondary ca lices arranged around a large central mother calyx. Septo-costae confluent.