VERTEBRARIA. 99 



I have here united V. australis with V. indica, since there do not 

 appear to be any good characters which clearly separate them. 

 Even Feistmantel admitted that these two species were closely 

 similar. Tenison - Woods 1 has described two species from the 

 Mesozoic rocks of Queensland, but it is more than doubtful if 

 they have any claims to be included in the genus, as Zeiller has 

 already pointed out. The fossil described by Schmalhausen 2 as 

 V. (?) petschorensis is almost certainly not a true member of 

 the genus. 



Royle, who first described the Indian species, assigned two 

 separate names, V. indica and V. radiata, to the same fossil as seen 

 in surface view and transverse section respectively. Curiously 

 enough the same thing happened with regard to the Australian 

 fossils, McCoy's V. australis being a specimen showing the 

 transverse section, and Dana's Clasteria australis representing the 

 same plant as seen in surface view. 



Specimens of Vertebraria indica from India. 



V. 4189. PI. IV, Fig. 2 ; also figured by Royle (33), pi. ii, 

 fig. 1. Type. 



Of the six specimens of Vertebraria figured by Royle, only one 

 has been identified, and this is the more important of those 

 described under the name V. indica. It measures 15 cm. in 

 length, and 1*8 cm. across. The median groove is well marked, 

 and the areas between the transverse furrows on either side are 

 almost square (9 mm. long and broad), or slightly oblong 

 (6x16 mm.). Transverse ridges also occur. The upper portion 

 of the cast is probably imperfect. 



Bardwan Coalfield. 



V. 7191. A specimen rather more than 10 cm. long, and about 

 2 cm. broad, showing the longitudinal and transverse grooves and 

 the transverse ridges. 



Near Nagpur. Sanlcey Cull. 



Specimens of Vertebraria indica from New South Wales. 

 V. 7208. PL IV, Fig. 3. 

 A specimen measuring nearly 9 cm. in length, and 2*5 cm. in 



1 Tenison- Woods (83), pp. 80-1, pi. i, figs. 1-4. 

 3 Schmalhausen (79), p. 53, pi. vii, figs. 14-18. 



