Prof. J. W. Gregory — Fossil Corals from Egypt, etc. 57 

 ACANTHASTRiEA, Edwards & Haime, 1848. 



ACANTHASTR^A HIRSUTA, Ed. & H., 1850, Var. MEGALOSTOMA, 



Klunzinger. 



Edwards & Haime, 1850 : Ann. Sci. nat., ser. in, vol. xii, p. 145 ; 1857, Hist. 



nat. Cor., vol. ii, p. 502, pi. d5, fig. 4. 

 Klunzinger, 1879 : KoraUth. roth. Meer., pt. iii, p. 42, pi. v, figs. 1-2. 



Distribution. — Recent : Red Sea and Indian Ocean. Fossil, 

 Pleistocene: Egypt {fide Edwards & Haime). Miocene: "Beach 

 Plateau," Abu Sha'ar, H 1812. 



I can recognize no specific distinction between this coral and the 

 recent species, and it even appears to be referable to one of 

 Klunzinger's two varieties of the species. 



STYLOCCENIA, Edwards & Haime, 1848. 

 Styloccenia tuberculata, n.sp. (PI. VII, Figs. 9a, 6.) 

 Diagnosis. — Corallura massive, nodular, contracted below to a 

 subpedunculate form ; upper surface convex and well rounded. 



Corallites about 2-5 mm. in diameter, very crowded, separated by 

 thin, well-raised vi^alls, with the angles raised as short, blunt 

 tubercles. The tubercles, however, are low, and not always 

 present, so that parts of the surface appear like Astrocoenia. 

 •Corallites polygonal to circular. Calice shallow. 



Columella conspicuous, styliform, sometimes laterally compressed. 

 Septa, 3 cycles; those of the first and second cycles are equal and 

 reach the columella ; those of the third cycle are much smaller. 

 Dimensions. — Corallum : — 



Length 61 mm. 



Width 40 „ 



Thickness ... ... ... ... ... ... 50 ,, 



Corallites : — 



Diameter ... ... ... ... ... ... 2-3 ,, 



Columella : — 



Diameter ... about -o-'Q ,, 



Calicinal centres: — 



Average distance 3 ,, 



Distrihution. — Miocene : on plateau, 1,200 feet above sea-level, 

 between Camps 27 and 28 ; Wadi Belih ; eastern side of the Red Sea, 

 to the south of Jebel Zeit. No. H 1814. 



Figures. — PI. VII, Fig. 9a, the corallum from the side, nat. size ; 

 Fig. 95, part of the surface, by 2 diam. 



Affinities. — In the absence of recorded species of Styloccenia in 

 Egypt it is natural first to compare this species with Astroccenia 

 cegyptica, Felix, ^ which appears to be a true Astroccenia. 



Its nearest ally appears to be Styloccenia vicaryi, Haime, which has 

 been well described and figured by Duncan^; his account shows 



1 J. Felix, Kor. agypt. Tert. : Zeit. deut. geol. Ges., vol. xxxvi (1884), p. 438, 

 pi. iv, figs. 5-6. 



2 p. M. Duncan : Mon. Foss. Corals and Alcyonaria of Sind, 1880, pp. 32-33, 

 i^l. xiii, figs. 4-7. 



