58 Annals of the SoutJi African Museum. 



Genus CALLIPTEEIDIUM Weiss. 

 Callipteeidium stormbergense sp. nov. 

 Plate VII., figs. 4-6rt; Plate VIII., fig. 5. 



Frond bipinnate, rachis stout ; pinnse alternate, linear, tapering to 

 an acuminate apex. Pinnules linear, entire or serrate, becoming 

 more crowded in the distal region of the pinnae and near the apex of 

 the frond, confluent basally ; the rachis bears pinnules that extend 

 upward on to the lower side of the pinnae. Venation of the Claclo- 

 phlebis type, approaching the Sphcnopteris type in the smaller 

 fronds (pi. viii., fig. 2). 



The Ehaetic species figured by Jaeger as Aspidioicles stuttgardiensis,'-^' 

 by Nathorst f from Scania as Lcpidoptcris ottonis Goepp., and by 

 Schenk as Asplenites ottonis X resembles the African fern in having 

 pinnules on the rachis, but differs in the larger ultimate segments. 

 This European type is, however, characterised by the occurrence of 

 numerous scales on the rachis, a feature not exhibited by the 

 Stormberg plant. A French species figured by Saporta as Lomatop- 

 teris Hasina Morr § affords another example of a bipinnate frond 

 with pinnules springing from the main rachis. 



In order to avoid the institution of a new generic name, I propose 

 to speak of the African fern as Callipteridiiim stormbergense. The 

 fragment of a Cladophlehis figured by Feistmantel as Asplenium, 

 cf. nehbense,\\ may possibly be a piece of a large pinna of 

 Calliptcridiuvi stormbergense, but the specimen is too small to 

 determine. 



One striking feature of the bipinnate frond shown in fig. 6, pi. vii., 

 is the occurrence of pinnules on the main rachis ; in other respects 

 the characters appear to be such as might be expressed by the use of 

 the generic name Gladophlebis. The Palaeozoic type Gallipteris 

 conferta*^ bears pinnules on the rachis, and a similar character is 

 seen in fronds included in Weiss' genus Callipteridimn ; ■'•■■'• similarly 

 a fern named by Heyer to Callipteris schenkii H exhibits the same 

 features but bears lobed pinnules. 



A fragment figured by Szajnocha H from Cacheuta (Argentine) as 



* Jaeger (27), pi. viii. t Nathorst (78), pi. ii., fig. 1. 



I Schenk (67), pis. xi. and xiv. § Saporta (91), pi. Ixvii., fig. 6. 



II Feistmantel (89), p. 68, pi. ii., figs. 12, 12rt. 



*i See Schimper (74), Atlas, pi. xxxii., fig. 2. See also Fontaine and White (80), 

 pi. xi., figs. 1-4. 



** Zeiller (00), p. 92, fig. 92. ft Heyer (84). 



II Szajnocha (88) pi., i., fig. 8. 



