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A genus of reef corals abundant in tropical seas. It includes than one hundred and fifty species, most of which are elegantly branched. -- Mad`re*po"ral, a.

An extensive division of Anthozoa, including most of the species that produce stony corals. See Illust. of Anthozoa. -- Mad`re*po*ra"ri*an, a. & n.

rals and sea anemones. The three principal groups or orders are Acyonaria, Actinaria, and Madreporaria.

The tissue which partially fills the interior of the interseptal chambers of most madreporarian corals. It usually consists of a series of oblique tranverse septa, one above another. -- En`do*the"cal, a.

The tissue which fills the interspaces between the costæ of many madreporarian corals, usually consisting of small transverse or oblique septa.

Any coral of the genus Madrepora; formerly, often applied to any stony coral.

Resembling, or pertaining to, the genus Madrepora. Madreporic plate (Zoöl.), a perforated plate in echinoderms, through which water is admitted to the ambulacral tubes; -- called also madreporic tubercule.

A division of corals including those that have a porous texture, as Porites and Madrepora; -- opposed to Aporosa.

Same as Anthozoa. See Anthozoa, Madreporaria, Hydroid. [Written also polype.] Fresh-water polyp, the hydra. -- Polyp stem (Zoöl.), that portion of the stem of a siphonophore which bears the polypites, or feeding zooids.

The stony corals; the Madreporaria.

tag-horn coral (Zoöl.), any one of several species of large branching corals of the genus Madrepora, which somewhat resemble the antlers of the stag, especially Madrepora cervicornis, and M. palmata, of Florida and the West Indies. -- Stag-horn fern (Bot.), an Australian and West African fern (Platycerium alcicorne) h…