vox Ettingshausen. — Foasil Flora of Neir Zealaufl. 285- 



PLANT/E INCERT/E SEDIS. 



Carpolithes otagoicus, sp. nov. 



Plate XXIX., figs. 7-9. 



G. fructibus ohlomjis subcompressis, utrlnqi(e obtnsis, supra 

 basin incurvatam iKiullo constrictis, extns longitiulinaliter 

 niijoso-striatis, rima longitudinall deliiscenUbus, inonospcrmis ; 

 superficie interna valvularum minutissima reticulato-fovcatis. 



Locality : Shaq Point (Otago Museum). [Ex Coll. Otago- 

 (leol. Surv., 1862 ] Hector.] 



Small fruits which have so extraordiuary a similarity to- 

 the enigmatical fossil fruits which are designated Carpolithes 

 icebsteri, Heer {Folliculites minutulus, Bronn, and F. kalten- 

 nordheimcnsis, Zenker), that at the first glance 1 thought I 

 had before me the kind of fruit named. These fruits are 

 oblong (obtuse), blunt at both ends; at one end, which may 

 ho considered as the base, bent to one side ; somewhat nar- 

 rowed neck -fashion; becoming a little thicker at the end. 

 The sm-face is wrinkled and longitudinally ribbed. The 

 stripes have small point-like warts, which are only visible under 

 a high power (fig. 8«). These outer characteristics of the 

 fruit as compared with those of Garpolithes luebsteri show 

 only very insignificant deviations, which become apparent 

 under repeated minute observation. The fossil fruits of the 

 species named show at the middle a length of 7mm. and a 

 width of 3mm. ; the New Zealand species are in the middle 

 omm. long and 2-5mm. wide. In Carpolitlics websteri appears 

 at the belly -side [lit.] a rather sharp edge, along which 

 the fruit springs up. This edge is connected with the thicker 

 part of the basal end, so that if observed in section the con- 

 tinuation of the edge seems continued beyond the fruit. In 

 the New Zealand Carpolith the edge mentioned stands out 

 less, and consequently the enlargement at the basal end is 

 smaller. The inner surface of the fruit-rind (or husk) shows a 

 fine network of pittings (vide enlargement, fig. 8b), and in this 

 characteristic our Carpolith seems to deviate specifically from 

 G. tuebsteri. In the sandy clay of Shag Point the fossil 

 fruits described have been found accumulated in great num- 

 bers: only the husks were found (filled with matrix), which had 

 burst open and were empty ; no trace was visible of the seed, 

 nor of the delicate skin which covei'cd the hollow of the fruit. 

 Figs. 9a and 9b represent two halves of the fruit, which fit to 

 each other, and which are moderately enlarged. 



