PALEONTOLOGY OF ILLINOIS. 

 GENUS KIPTEKOCKI^US, Wachsmuth. 



Proceed. Acad. Nat. Sci., Phila., 1868, p. 341. 



a washing vessel; xplvov, a lily; in allusion to its basin-shaped 

 body.) 



Mr. WACHSMTITH has proposed the above name, in manuscript, for a 

 type agreeing with Cyathocrimis proper in the thinness of its body 

 plates, in the nature of the bifurcations of its arms, and apparently in 

 the general structure of its body, excepting that it has no anal plate, 

 the first radials being large, wide, and in contact all around, so as to 

 leave no spaces for anal or interradial pieces. The succeeding radials 

 after the first are comparatively small, and number from three to four 

 (so far as yet known) to each ray, the first always resting in rounded 

 sinuses in the upper edge of the large first radials, much as in Cyatho- 

 crinus, excepting that these free radials are very short, more as we see 

 in Barycrinus. They differ, however, from those of both Cyathocrinus 

 and Barycrinus, in each having its lower edge along the outer side of 

 the arms produced downward, into a corresponding-sinus in the upper 

 outer edge of each succeeding piece below, so as to present much the 

 appearance seen in the arms of Taxocrinus, Onychocrinus and Forbesio- 

 crinus, excepting that the produced part does not seem to be separate 

 patelliform pieces, but merely the down ward produced lower outer edge 

 of each arm-piece itself. 



None of the specimens yet found show the number of basal pieces, 

 but we can see that its body is composed of small basals, with five well- 

 developed subradials of uniform shape, and five large first radials. 

 This structure of the body, it will be seen, is exactly that of Erisocri- 

 nus that is if the base is composed of five pieces, which is very proba- 

 ble. The whole structure and aspect of tne parts above, however, is 

 entirely different in these groups, since in Erisocrinus there are always 

 but two primary radial pieces to each ray, while the second radials are 

 as large as the first, and instead of merely resting in small sinuses in 

 the upper part of the latter, the two articulate together by straight 

 edges across their entire breadth, the articulating edges being always 

 provided with a crenated transverse ridge and furrows. The arms of 

 Erisocrinus are also much stouter, and present none of the characters 

 of the type under consideration, while all of its body and arm pieces 

 also differ in being very thick. 



It is an interesting fact that the column of the genus here described, 

 as well as its arms, present a striking similarity to that of Taxocrinus 

 and allied groups, being round, and composed near the body of exceed- 

 ingly thin pieces, connecting by crenate surfaces, and provided with a 

 comparatively small central canal. Notwithstanding these points of 



