﻿358 BULLETIN 103, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM. 



As this is the type-species of the genus StepJianocoenia, the following 

 notes on its finer structure will be repeated, with slight emendation, 

 from my paper on the Eocene and lower Oligocene corals of the 

 United States (1900): The septa are composed of ascending trabecu- 

 lae; near the wall is a Ime of divergence. Extemal to this Ihie the 

 trabeculae pass upward and have a slight mclination outward. The 

 trabeoulae on the inner side of the line of divergence pass upward and 

 incline inward. The trabeculae are fine, measuring from 0.027 to 

 0.04 mm. across. A study of the lines of growth across the trabeculae 

 indicate an entire or very obscurely dentate septal margin. The 

 growth segments of the septa are well defined; the distance across 

 one measured along the line of divergence is about 0.32 mm. on an 

 average. The distal ends of the septa do not thicken sufficiently to 

 form a pseudotheca. In places dark centsrs or a dark band can be 

 seen in the theca between the septal ends; that is, the wall belongs 

 in the euthecal class. In some mstances the wall is clearly formed 

 by peripherally placed dissepimenta. The corallites are rather often 

 joined by their costae. In such instances the wall of one corallite is 

 usually formed by dissepiments. There is usually distinguishable a 

 central erect piece, around which the prmcipal septa fuse by their 

 inner margins. In some instances the columella appears to be formed 

 merely by the fusion of the septal margins. In one calice the axis 

 of the columella is vacant, the septal margms havmg fused around it. 

 The pali in cross section show as thickenings on the mner septal ends. 

 The inner ends of the tertiary septa are free. 



The above description should be compared with Felix's description 

 of StepJianocoenia formosa (Goldfuss).^ I should also like to call 

 attention to a statement by Miss Ogilvie, that "it is doubtful if they 

 {Astrocoenia and StepJianocoenia) are represented in recent seas." ^ 

 She evidently did not know that the type-species of StepJianocoenia 

 is the recent S. intersepta (Esper). So if there is any doubt, it is 

 that the genus is fomid fossil earlier than late Tertiary. 



It is astonishing to find the following statement in a recent paper 

 by Felix :^ "Von dieser Art, welche heutzutage in Australischen 

 Meeren lebt, liegen mir zwei examplare vor. Fossil findet sich in dem 

 Pliocanen Mcrgel von Rangoen auf Java." Such a statement when 

 the species he is discussmg is one of the most widespread and best 

 known of those in Pleistocene deposits adjacent to and m the Recent 

 waters of the western Atlantic Ocean, the Caribbean Sea, and the 

 Gulf of Mexico ! 



Synonymy. — Gregory in 1895 gave full references to the literature 

 on this species up to that date, except that he did not place StepJiano- 

 coenia delyilis Duchassaing and Micholotti in its synonym. 



1 Deiitssh. Geolog. Gesell. Zeitschr., vol. 50, pp. 252-25!, pi. 2, fig. 1. 



2 Roy. Soc. London Trans., vol. 187, p. 307, 1896. 



s Konigl. Siichs Gesell. Wiss., Leipzig, Math, Phys. Kl., vol. 64, p. 444, 1912. 



