History of British animals - University of Guam Marine Laboratory

530 ZOOPHYTA. TUBIPORAMJ. Discopora.larged globular heads, radiated with plates of united verticalcells.In deep water, Zetland.About an inch in height, the branches scarcely exceeding one-eighth ; thebranches are short, pierced by numerous pores, the openings of cells convergingtowards the centre ;the head is stellate, the rays are highest in themiddle of their course, diminishing towards the centre and lower margin ofthe head ; each ray is compressed, and consists of two rows of tubular cells,united, crowded, with subangular orifices ; the tubes have a central direction,and give to the sides of the plates a striated appearance. This specieshas probably been referred to as an inhabitant of the north seas, under thetitle of Millepora truncata, but it differs widely from ths Myriosoos of Donati,to which the term was restricted by Pallas.Gen. XLVII I.DISCOPORA.—A subcircular crust, adheringin the middle, circumscribed, and raised at the margin,forming a cup, bearing on the inside a disc of tubular cells.121. D. verrucaria.— Margin thin, concentrically wrinkled,disc with the centre nearly smooth, the tubular cells divergingand submarginal.Madrepora verrucaria, Linn. Syst.i. 1272. Pallas, El. 280 Milleporaverr. Sol. Ellis Zooph. 137—On fuci and corallines, common.About a quarter of an inch in diameter ; the centre is generally puncturedwith the traces of the obliterated rays, the tubes are sometimes slightlycohering, and disposed in rays ; the orifices are round and simple.122. D. hispida.— Margin thin and waved, the cells distributed or radiated, with denticulated orifices.Coral resembling the cups and foliage of flowers, Cordiner's Ruins,No. xxii—On corallines from deep water, Zetland.Breadth nearly an inch ; hispid, the cells seem distributed over the whole surface,and more vertical than the preceding; there are, however, waved porousgrooves, and the cells seem disposed on each side of these in irregular transverserows, united or free, short, with expanding orifices, dividing into irregularspinous processes. This species isvery common in Zetland, adheringto Cellepora cervicomis, and the figure of Cordiner is a tolerably accurate representation.He does not, however, state his examples as Scottish.Gen. XLIX. FILIPOltA.— Massive, consisting of numerouslong, cylindrical, linear tubes, slightly branched, variouslyunited and twisted.123. F'.Jilograna.— Tubes about g^th of an inch in diameter,fasciculating and twisting, forming large irregular meshes.Serpula filograna, Linn. Syst. i. 1265 S. corallifica, Pallas, El. 239Common on old shells and the roots of fuci a little beyond low watermark.The masses sometimes occur upwards of a foot in diameter ; the tubes areslightly wrinkled transversely, and nearly of equal size throughout, exceptwhere divided; the colour is white.