266 



THE ATRYPIDAE OF NEW SOUTH WALES. WITH REFERENCES TO 

 THOSE RECORDED FROM OTHER STATES OF AUSTRALIA. 



Bv JoHx Mitchell, late Principal of the Newcastle Technical College and 

 School or Mines, N. S. Wales, and W. S. Dun, PALAEONTOLOCiisT, Dept. of 



Mines, Sydney. 



(With Plates xiv.-xvi.; Text-figures 1-5.) 



One reason for tlie present paper is to make some additions to our present 

 knowledge of the Atrypidae found in the Palaeozoic rocks of New South Wales, 

 with a view to facilitate their correlation with those of similar age in other 

 countries in which such rocks have been chronologically classified. 

 The value of the Atrypa group for this purpose is hardly surpassed 

 by any other group of brachiopods and because of this, ajid that a supply of 

 good material has become available to work upon, the task of systematically deal- 

 ing with members of the gi-oup represented in the Middle Palaeozoic rocks of this 

 State is now undertaken. Besides the foregoing reasons, another inducement to 

 deal with the group was the discovery, some time ago, of a number of remarkable 

 brachiopods belonging to the Atrypidae, but not placeable in any of the existing 

 genera of the family. 



Up to the present the following species of Atrypa have been recorded from 

 New South Wales, — Atrypa reticularis Linn., A. desquamata Sowerby, A. plica- 

 tella de Koninck, and A. marginalis Dalman. To these species we are able to 

 add Atrypa pulchra, n.sp., A. erectirostris, n.sp., and A. duntroonensis, n.sp. 



If the doubtful -1. plicateUa be omitted, New South Wales would be repre- 

 sented by six species of Atrypa, and this is quite a good contribution, for nowhere 

 are the species of Atrypa found to be very numerous, as is the case with some 

 other genera of brachiopods. In addition to these tnie Atrypas we find it neces- 

 sary to add a new genus to the group, for the reception of some brachiopods col- 

 lected from Molong, Yass and Bowning districts. From external features, these 

 remarkable fossils were considered to belong to Meristina, but the discovery of 

 specimens exhibiting internal structures proves that their ti-ue position is with the 

 Atrypidae. 



For this new genus we have decided upon the name Atrypnidea, and in it we 

 have placed the following species: — Atrypoidea aiistralif^, n.sp., and A. aiigiista, 

 n . sp . 



Atrypa UETirri.Anis Linnaeus. 

 (PI. XV., figs. 1-7; PI. xvi., figs. 0. 10, 20.) 



It is unnecessary to snjiidy the synonymy or the description of this world 

 widely distributed and stratigra|)hically persistent brachiopod. Its lii.story for 

 this State is a brief one. • 



The first record of its occurrence was made by the late J. W. Salter in a 

 letter to the late Rev. W. B. Clarke, dated 28th Nov., 1858, wherein he states 



