157 



Genus Cauyophyllia, Lamarck. 

 Caryophyllia planiiamellata, sppr. nov. PI. vi., figs. 4a, h. 



This is the first Caryo'phyllla discovered in Australian 

 waters. It is true that Milne-Edwards and Haime recorded 

 one such species, viz., C. Australis'^, but, as shown by Briigge- 

 mann,t it certainly does not belong to the genus. The present 

 species has been lately dredged in great numbers by Dr. Verco 

 in the South-East of South Australia. Many of the speci- 

 mens are very fine, and were dredged up alive. 



The corallum is conico-cylindrical and more or less curv- 

 ed. It does not taper much till the commencement of the 

 curve, when it diminishes rapidly. The specimens vary a good 

 deal in outline, some being lengthened out and much twisted 

 inferiorly, while others are both shortly and regularly curved. 

 As a rule there is a small pedicellate base, though some ex- 

 amples, especially those with a long distorted basal curve, ter- 

 minate in a bluntly-rounded point. Several coralla are still 

 attached to shells, or other foreign substances, and in one in- 

 stance a long slender corallum is adherent by its base to the 

 side of a larger one. 



The wall is covered with a fine, glistening, granular epith- 

 eca, with the costse, which correspond with the septa faintly 

 traceable beneath it. There is besides a tendency to the de- 

 velopment of occasional knobs or protuberances on the wall. 

 Many of the specimens also show numerous serpulge, etc., on 

 their surface. 



The calice is shallow, widely open, and elliptical; the 

 ratio of its axes is about as 100 to 88. In the type calice 

 there are 10 primary and 10 secondary septa of approximately 

 equal length, 18 tertiary much shorter, and 38 still smaller 

 quaternaries. Prominent, upright, and regularly-shaped pali 

 are placed before the tertiaries. As there are 



only 18 tertiaries in this calice, two half -systems 

 being without them, the pali are also 18 instead of 20. 

 Another calice shows exactly the same arrangement. In a 

 third example I counted 19, and in a fourth 20 pali. The 

 number of septa in the calices of adult forms, like those quot- 

 ed, does not, therefore, differ greatly, the systems being nor- 

 mallv 10 and the number of cycles 4. Both pali and septa 

 are straisfht, moderately thin lamellae : they agree also in being 

 quite plain, i.e., free from either spines or granules. Deep 

 down, the pali are connected with tlie tertiary septa by a 

 straight, thin, leno-thened process; in other words, the pali 

 are continuous with the tertiary septa, a deeply-cut notch 

 marking the iunction of the two structures. 



* Ann. S^i. Nat., Ser. 3, Zool., vol. x., p. 320. pi. viii., fio;. 2. 

 t Ann. Nat. Hist., vol. xx., p. 310. 



