destus; the head is almost similarly formed; the antennæ, however, are always more or less serrate; the thorax is more elongate, the prosternal sutures are narrowly open in their anterior part and are not sinuate in front; the prosternal process is short, and is bent up in Lomemus pilicornis, but is longer and nearly straight in L. obscuripes; the intercoxal space is narrow, and the mesosternal cavity is narrow, illlimited behind, its posterior extremity very far from the intercoxal suture; the space separating these two parts is longitudinally grooved. The femoral portion of the coxal plate is short, the trochanteral portion moderately long; the 4th joint of the tarsus is minute, the 3rd simple or obscurely emarginate at the extremity. Species of small size.

I have had so few examples of these small species at my disposal that I cannot deal in a full and satisfactory manner with their structural details; and it is probable that a thorough examination would show that I have left together in one group species which may ultimately form several distinct groups they may, however, be distinguished from the species of Aglophus by the different prosternal sutures, by the less diminished femoral portion of the hind coxal plate, and the less developed 3rd and 4th joints of the tarsi.

[To be continued].

XL.-Description of three new Species of Lizards from Islands of Torres Straits. By Dr. A. GÜNTHER.

A COLLECTION of reptiles made by the Rev. S. MacFarlane for the British Museum, at Somerset and in the islands of Torres Straits, contained the lizards enumerated in the following list. Unfortunately no record was made, or has reached us, as regards the particular islands where the specimens were collected.

1. Odatria prasina, Müll.

2. Lialis punctulata, Gray, together with L. leptorhyncha, Ptrs., the specific distinctness of which is very doubtful. 3. Cryptoblepharus pacilopleurus, Wiegm.

4. Hinulia striatula, Steind.

5. Carlia Macfarlani, sp. n

Scales round the middle of the body in 25 longitudinal series; 45 in a series between the chin and vent. The anterior frontal forms a long suture with the rostral and a short one with the vertical, which is small, smaller than the ante

rior occipital; a small central occipital fitting into a notch of the anterior. Six upper labials, the fourth being below the eye. Ear-opening minute. The fore leg does not reach beyond the eye if laid forwards; the third finger longest. Brown above, white below. Sides with a black, white-edged band, beginning from the eye and lost on the tail. This band is much more distinct in young than in old specimens.

This species should be compared with Lygosoma novæguinea, which has been very shortly noticed by Meyer in Berlin. M.B. 1874, p. 132.

6. Mabouia macrura, Gthr.
7. Cyclodus carinatus, Gthr.
8. Tropidolepisma striolatum, Ptrs.
9. Heteropus fuscus, D. & B.

10. Thecadactylus australis, sp. n.

Closely allied to T. rapicauda. Upper parts covered with very small, granular, smooth scales, which become more prominent and rougher on the forehead and snout. Eleven upper and ten lower labials. Scales of the lower parts as small as those of the upper; those on the throat minute. The scales in the præanal region somewhat larger, each perforated by a pore. Root of the tail, behind the vent, swollen (in the male ?), the swollen portion covered with large hexagonal scutes. Tail (reproduced) cylindrical, with narrow verticilli. Upper parts brownish violet, marbled with reddish. Lower parts whitish.

Distance from the snout to the eye

millim.

The occurrence in Australia of a genus hitherto believed to

be peculiar to tropical America is the more significant as this

genus is sharply defined from other members of the family of Geckoids, and the resemblance between the single American and Australian species is very great indeed.

11. Peripia torresiana, sp. n.

Back uniform granular, without any tubercles. Scales in the middle of the belly in about 40 longitudinal series. Tail strongly depressed, but with rounded sides, finely granular, and with large subcaudals beneath. Number of the upper and lower labials varying from seven to nine. Front lower labial short, much broader than long, with a pair of elongate chin-shields behind. Light grey above, with some indistinct round white spots. Tail with brownish rings.

XLI.-Notes on Stony Corals in the Collection of the British Museum. By Dr. F. BRÜGGEMANN.

In these notes I intend to publish a series of preliminary notices of some of the more remarkable novelties which I determined during my examination of the large collection of corals in the British Museum, as well as other remarks, especially on synonymy and geographical distribution of forms previously known. They will be of a miscellaneous character, and are not intended to be given in a strictly systematic order.

My thanks are due to Dr. Günther, keeper of the Zoological Department, for kind assistance, by which my studies have been greatly facilitated.

I. DESCRIPTION OF TWO NEW SPECIES OF TURBINARIIDÆ.

1. Turbinaria bifrons.

Corallum consisting of thin, vertical, variously plicate plates, which are covered equally on both sides with calicles. Coral

lites arranged rather quincuncially (the oblique series being most pronounced), distant by about the length of their diameter, small, excessively short cylindrical (so as to appear nearly immersed), slightly oblique, the opening directed towards the edge of the leaf, the proximal part of the wall a little more projecting. Cells open, very shallow. Septa crowded, equal, generally 18-20 in number, narrow, with straight inner edge, the lateral surfaces delicately spinulous. Columella oviform, rather compact. Coenenchyma moderately dense, longitudinally striate and delicately echinulate on the surface. Thickness of corallum, on the average, 3-4 millims.; diam. of calicles 2 millims., their height millim. Hab. Unrecorded.

B.M.

This species is distinguished at the first glance by being everywhere bifacial. In the other species there may be found occasionally one or two calicles budding on the outer surface of the corallum, or stout branches rising from the centre; in some of them, especially T. frondens and T. peltata, there occurs also a peculiar mode of plication, giving to the folded parts the aspect of bifaciality. But in the latter instance there is always a distinct suture on the ridges, separating two well-marked rows of calicles, while nothing of this kind is indicated in the present species. The corallites are in their general aspect much like those of T. crater, but less crowded, smaller and more oblique.

The single specimen seems to be only one half of the whole corallum, which apparently formed a hemispherical cluster of upright plates terminating at equal heights and obtusely rounded at their summits. The plates scarcely coalesce where they meet; below they are united to a somewhat spreading basal expansion. The height of the corallum is five inches; the greatest diameter, nearly eight inches.

2. Astræopora expansa.

Corallum attached by a short pedicel, expanded, flat crateriform; under surface covered to the very edge with a well-developed concentrically striate epitheca. Calicles irregularly scattered, generally placed at great distances from each other, small, rather deep, immersed, or with the margin only slightly projecting. Septa unequal, 12 in number, quite rudimentary in the upper half of the cell. Cœnenchyma abundant, deposited in nearly continuous thin horizontal layers, which are united by straight perpendicular trabeculæ, so that a vertical section shows a regular network, the square interspaces of which are millim. in diameter. Surface spongious and echinulate, rather scantily covered with very

thin, short, upright spines. Diameter of cells 1 to 1 millim., their depth about 6 to 10 millims.

Hab. Unrecorded.

B. M.

In the only specimen the outline figure of the upper surface is kidney-shaped, the corallum being deeply emarginate where it had been fixed to the ground. The greatest diameter is nearly 8 inches, the height 4 to 5 inches, the greatest thickness 1 inch.

This species differs from all its congeners in its mode of growth, in the ample development of the epitheca, and in the structure of the coenenchyma. The echinulation of the surface is more delicate, and the cells are smaller and more distant, than in either of the other species (perhaps with the exception of A. palifera, which I have not seen).

The genus Astropora now comprises five species, three of which were already known to Lamarck; the fourth was described and figured by Dana as A. pulvinaria (U.S. Expl. Exped., Zooph. p. 415, pl. 29. fig. 3), and afterwards enumerated as A. profunda by Verrill (in Dana, ' Corals and Cor. Isl.,' Appendix).

Astrea stellulata of Lamarck (Hist. Anim. s. Vert. ii. p. 261) and Gemmipora fungiformis of Michelin (Mag. Zool. 1840, Zooph. pl. 2) do not belong to this genus. The first is not determinable; and even if it should prove to be a distinct species, it ought to be renamed, because Lamarck meant to describe the totally different Madrepora stellulata of Ellis and Solander. Gemmipora fung formis is one of the earliest stages of Turbinaria peltata; the only difference which might be pointed out from the description and figure is the extreme porosity of the coenenchyma. But this condition is evidently due to the mode of preparation, and is frequently found in a similar degree in specimens of this and the other species of Turbinaria.

II. REMARKS ON THE SPECIES OF SERIATOPora.

1. Seriatopora lineata.

Millepora lineata, Linnæus, 1758 and 1767.

B.M.

Madrepora seriata, Pallas, 1766; Ellis & Solander, pl. 31. figs. 1, 2. Seriatopora subulata, Lamarck, 1816; M. Edwards.

The Millepora lineata of Linnæus is evidently the same as the Seriatopora subulata of Milne-Edwards (but neither of Ehrenberg nor of Dana). Linnæus's description answers exceedingly well to this species, and is even much more to the point than Lamarck's unsatisfactory diagnosis. Pallas may have included several species under his Madrepora seriata;