256 W. II. SHERZER — THE GENUS CHONOPHYLLUM. 



founded upon it the genus Chonophyllum, and assigned to it the following 

 generic characters : 



"Corallum simple, and constituted principally by a series of infundibuliforin 

 tabulae, superposed and invaginated, the surface of which presents numerous septal 

 radii equally developed, and extending from the center to the circumference. No 

 columella nor walls."* 



The following year this same description reappeared in their " Poly - 

 piers Fossiles,"t with the additional note — " The chonophylla have some 

 relationship with Strombodes, but they always remain simple and present 

 no walls ; they differ from the ptychophylla by the absence of any cen- 

 tral organ.' 1 This was then again published by Milne-Edwards in 1860. J 

 Morris, in 1854, referred the genus to the then imperfectly known Hclin- 

 phyllum, and this genus to Strephodes of McCoy .§ including under it the 

 Cyathophyllum perfoliatum of Goldfuss and the Strombodes plicatus of Lons- 

 dale. Pictet followed the description of the founders, simply omitting 

 the statement in regard to the absence of wall. II 



The first American species was described by Billings in 1860,^ hut 

 neither in connection with this description nor with another live years 

 later does he offer any contribution to the generic literature. He was 

 guided, in all probability, by the general resemblance between his types 

 and the excellent figure of Goldfuss rather than by any of the generic 

 descriptions or his own imperfect knowledge of his specimens. Dybowski, 

 in his elaborate monograph on zoantharia rugosa, does not recognize the 

 genus. Based upon a study of the first of Billings' species, C. magnificum, 

 Dr. Rominger, in 1876, published the most complete and satisfactory 

 diagnosis of the genus yet made:** 



"Single turbinate polyparia, composed of invaginated, radially plicated cell cups. 

 which are intimately united within the central area, and form with their linear 

 plications continuous vertical crests, extending through the whole length of the 

 corallum, and uniting in the center into a somewhat twisted fascicle, but without 

 composing a solid central axis. The interlamellar interstices of tins central fas- 

 cicle or core are traversed by transverse vesiculosa plates, but no larger transverse 

 diaphragmatic septa are observable. In the peripheral area the structure is en- 

 tirely different. The connection between the invaginated cups becomes more 

 loose, the linear plications open themselves and spread horizontally, forming grad- 

 ually widening and moderately convex hand-like folds of the expanded laminar 

 cup walls, which are superimposed in well-defined membraniform layers, one 



♦ Brit. Foss.Cor., pt. i, 1850, p. Ixix. 



j- is:, i, p. iOo. 



I Hist. Nat. <les Cor., 1860, vol. iii, p. 398. 



j Catalogue of British Fossils. In., i. pp. 19, 57, 64, 65. 



|j Traite de Paleontologie, vol. iv, 1857, p. 457. 



' Canadian Journal, new series, vol. v, 1860, pp. 264-265. 



** Geological Survey of Michigan, vol. iii. pt. ii. pp. 115-116. 



