ITALIAN GONIOPOR^. 1J7 



100. Goniopora Alessandria (3)3. 



[Stazzano, Novi Ligure (Miocene — Tortonian), coll. Michelotti ; 

 Geol. Mus. Univ. Eome.] 



Desdiption. — Corallum massive, very light and fragile. 



Calicles from 1-75-2 mm., irregularly polygonal and shallow. Wall, a thin thread, 

 slightly swollen here and there and irregularly bent, seldom evenly zigzag. When this edge 

 is rubbed off, the wall is a reticulum of almost rectangular meshes, built up by a regular ring 

 of synapticulse joining the septa, and parallel with the wall tliread. The septa are very irregular 

 and start from the wall thread ; they are smooth, thin, and swelling slightly at their tips, that 

 is, if free. They usually meet a rather large central ring ; several irregular triplets can be 

 traced, which point to the typical formula. The number of septa seems to vary from 14-20. 



In the vertical section the straight, thin trabeculse are far apart and are joined together 

 by parallel threads forming slight swellings where they meet the trabecule. The reticulum is 

 very light and the meshes very large. 



Tliis coral with its open thread reticulum recalls the coral from Turin described on the 

 next page as G. Turin 2 and labelled " Litharma asbcstella " in the Geological Museum, Eome. 

 There is, however, in this latter coral no trace of the synapticulae running round inside the 

 wall, and the septa are there much more wavy and irregular. 



As this is unlike any form yet described, it is to be regretted that it was inconvenient at 

 the time of my examination of it, to have it figured. See under G. Tiirin 3. 



101. Goniopora Turin o)!. 



[Near Turin (Middle Miocene), coll. Micheliu ; Turin Museum.] 



Porites collegniana, Michelin (partim), Icones (1840-47), p. 65, pi. 13, fig. 9 a, b. 

 fLitharcea asbestella, Sismonda, Pal. Terrain Tert. Piemont (1871), p. 25. 



Description. — Corallum encrusting and forming rounded and lobate masses with smooth 

 upper surface; single layers, apparently uniformly 3 -4/ mm. thick. 



Calicles polygonal, crowded, shallow. Walls thin, ragged, granulated, and echinulate, 

 upper edges of septa the same ; both walls and septa very perforated. A small but rather 

 conspicuous columellar tangle is shown in MicheUn's figure. 



The number of the septa shown in the magnified drawing given by Michelin shows that 

 this was a Goniopora. 



Milne-Edwards and Haime brought confusion into the record by identifying it with a 

 coral which had been called by Defrance Astrma incrusians, but which according to these 

 authors was a Porites. I can find no description by Defrance of any such coral, nor is it 

 possible to ascertain whether Milne-Edwards and Haime were referring to an actual fossil or 

 to Michelin's coral, or, if the former, whether it was a true Porites or a Goniopora. The fact 



