Evolution of ahermatypic scleractinian corals from marine caves.

在琉球群岛的海蚀洞中发现了6属7种海蚀洞石。其中提出1新属4新种，即Madracis sp. nov.，鸡冠花叶木（Desmophyllum cristagalli Milne-Edwards and Haime）、多杯孢属（Polycyathus sp. nov.）Paracyathus pruinosus Alcock，Dendrophyllia sp. nov. Dendrophyllia elegans Horst和Pectiniidae www.example.com sp. nov.组合特征明显，与琉球群岛迄今报道的无礁型石珊瑚不同。有些种类的珊瑚形态也很奇特，反映了海洋洞穴的神秘环境。例如，Madracis sp. nov.的珊瑚巨大而非常小，而它们在开放的海洋环境中通常是分枝的。在石珊瑚的分类中，单生珊瑚和群生珊瑚在属的水平上被区分开来。然而，单生和集群珊瑚，这两个具有相同的杯状结构共存于Desmophyllum属。

Seven species belonging to six genera have been found in the marine caves mainly from the Ryukyu Islands. Among them, one new genus and four new species are propsed, viz. Madracis sp.nov., Desmophyllum cristagalli Milne-Edwards and Haime, Polycyathus sp.nov., Paracyathus pruinosus Alcock, Dendrophyllia sp.nov., Dendrophyllia elegans Horst and Pectiniidae gen.et sp.nov.The assemblages are characteristic, being different from those of ahermatypic scleractinians hitherto reported from the Ryukyu Islands. Morphology of the coralla in some species is also peculiar, reflecting the cryptic environments of the marine caves. For example, the coralla of Madracis sp.nov.are massive and very small, while they are generally ramose in open marine environments. In the classification of scleractinian corals, solitary corals have been discriminated from colonial ones in generic level. However, solitary and colonial coralla, both of which possess same calices coexist in the genus Desmophyllum.