R. G. Carruthers — Remarkable Carboniferous Coral, 439 



Specimens of Cryptophyllum showing anything in the nature of 

 minor septa are not very common ; in the few cases I have observed 

 two septa only were found, developed exactly as in the foregoing 

 example. 



Summing up, one may say that Cryptophyllum may he classed 

 with the Rugose corals, with the reservation that the development 

 of the primary septa is quite abnormal, for the counter-primary is 

 either altogether absent or else does not appear till a relatively late 

 period. Resulting from this, a stage with five septa only, all 

 primary, is a marked feature of the genus: these five septa are 

 inserted in an irregular manner, but once established usually 

 remain prominent throughout the remaining growth-stages. The 

 development of both metasepta and minor septa proceeds exactly 

 as in other Rugose corals. 



Formal diagnoses, with remarks on distribution, affinities, etc., 

 are appended below. 



Genus Cryptophyllum, gen. nov. 



Diagnosis. — Corallum simple. Five septa, all primary, but 

 variable in sequence, appear before the others, and remain 

 predominant until the growth of the corallum is completed : their 

 disposition is not quite symmetrical, two (the counter-lateral 

 primaries) being closer than tbe others. The remaining primary 

 (the counter septum) appears subsequently, or may be entirely 

 absent. The development scheme of both metasepta and minor 

 septa (if any) agrees with that of other Rugose corals. There are 

 tabula?, but no dissepiments. 



Affinities. — Several genera bear a superficial resemblance to 

 Cryptophyllum. In 1872 de Koninck l proposed Pentaphyllum for 

 a genus with five septa much more developed than the rest. Two 

 species were described and figured, P. armatum and P. caryophyllatum, 

 both from the Carboniferous Limestone of Tournai ; but in the course 

 of a visit to the Musee d'Histoire JNaturelle at Brussels many years 

 ago I was unable to find the originals. The species first dealt with 

 by de Koninck (and presumably, therefore, his genotype) is 

 P. armatum: the epitheca is covered with spinose outgrowths, well 

 portrayed in one of the figures (loo. cit., pi. iv, fig. 8), but with, 

 regard to the septa the illustrations are at variance with the text : 

 in his Plate, Fig. 8a shows six, not five, leading septa, three at 

 right angles to one another, the remainder closely approximated : 

 the species appears to be a spinose Zaphrentid or Campophyllid. In 

 the case of P. earyophyllatum, the figure of the calyx (loc. cit., pi. iv, 

 fig. 9a) again differs from the text, four leading septa only being 

 shown. The discussion need not be carried further, for Dr. Gr. J. 

 Hinde, while noting the conflict between the text and figures of 

 de Koninck, has pointed out that the name Pentaphyllum was pre- 

 occupied in 1821 for a genus of Coleoptera. 2 At the same time, he 



1 de Koninck, Nouv. Eechs. anim. foss. terr. carb. Belgique, p. 58, 

 Brussels, 1872. 



2 G. J. Hinde, " Notes on the Palaeontology of Western Australia " : Geol. 

 Mag., 1890, p. 195. 



