THE GENUS MONTICULIPORA. 



CHAPTER I. 



THE GENERAL HISTORY OF THE GENUS MONTICULIPORA. 



Genus Monticulipora, D'Orbigny, 1850. 



(Prodr. de Paleont, t. i. p. 25.) 



Nebulipora^ M'Coy, Ann. Nat. Hist., ser. 2, vol. vi. p. 282, 1850. 

 Orbitulites, Eichwald, Zool. spec, t. i. p. 180, 1829. 

 Orbipora, Eichwald, Leth. Rossica, t. i. p. 484, i860. 

 Stenopora, M'Coy? (non Lonsdale), Brit. Pal. Foss., p. 24, 185 1. 



The genus Monticulipora was founded by D'Orbigny in 

 1850 (Prodr. de Pal., t. i. p. 25, where the date of the genus is 

 given as 1847), the only definition being: "cellules serrees, 

 poriformes a la surface, d'un ensemble rameux ou encroutant 

 couvert de petites saillies coniques." The first species given 

 under this definition is the M. mammulata, D'Orbigny, of the 

 Lower Silurian of the United States, which must therefore be 

 accepted as the type of the group. It will be quite obvious 

 that the only character in the above definition which has the 

 very remotest generic value, is the existence of conical eleva- 

 tions or " monticules " upon the surface, and even the nature 

 of these elevations is left wholly undefined. I may add, also, 

 that there are unquestionable species of Monticulipora in which 

 "monticules" are wanting. The genus Nehdipora, M'Coy, 



a 



