The royal natural history . ?5 scarlet crisp-coral, Flabellum (nat. size. 506 CCELENTERA TES. The mushroom-corals (Fungiidce) are another remarkable group of solitaryforms, taking their nana from their resemblance to the head of an expanded mush-room turned upside down. Turning to the figure of Thecocyathus (on p. 505), andimagining the circular wall pulled down all round, and drawing down the septa so that they radiate outwards, some idea of a Fungia maybe obtained. Their skeletons are remarkable objects, whichno one, at first sight, would in any way connect with a sea-anemone. Although the m
The royal natural history . ?5 scarlet crisp-coral, Flabellum (nat. size. 506 CCELENTERA TES. The mushroom-corals (Fungiidce) are another remarkable group of solitaryforms, taking their nana from their resemblance to the head of an expanded mush-room turned upside down. Turning to the figure of Thecocyathus (on p. 505), andimagining the circular wall pulled down all round, and drawing down the septa so that they radiate outwards, some idea of a Fungia maybe obtained. Their skeletons are remarkable objects, whichno one, at first sight, would in any way connect with a sea-anemone. Although the mushroom-corals are consideredto be individuals, reproducing themselves by means ofeggs, both budding and division into halves occur excep-tionally ; in the former case the buds sooner or laterbecoming detached. In some there is an alternation ofgenerations, leading to the formation of compound the illustrated form true mushroom-corals are producedat the ends of the branches; at a one has become detached,. MUSHROOM - CORALFORMING A (nat. size). budding and an(j the others are in different stages, the youngest being SMALL STOCK nearly cylindrical, like a typical polyp, whereas the olderones spread out like a typical Fungia. When a bud hasfallen off, the stem seems capable of developing another. This is the asexual genera-tion, reproduction by eggs being the sexual generation. Lastly, certain solitary coralshave recently been discovered in the deep sea, where, on account of the presence ofcarbonic acid in suffi-cient quantities tomake itself felt, thereis little lime. On thisaccount the calcareousskeleton is generallydistinguished by greatdelicacy. A deep-seacoral with such a deli-cate skeleton (Lepto-yenus), found off theeast coast of SouthAmerica at a depth ofover a mile, is shownin the illustration. Itspedestal is formed of adelicate network withfine rays or spokes,connected together in aregular manner oy A dkep-sea coral, Leptopenus discus (nat. size). transverse sup
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, booksubjectnaturalhistory, booksubjectzoology
