FOSSIL COEALS OF LAKE TJEMI. 425 



and rod-like ; the exotheca develops as horizontal layers, and 

 is not vesicular; the costse are long and prominent on the sur- 

 face ; the calices are 5-Q mm. in diameter, and are separated by 

 exothecal bands from 2-6 mm. in width. 



The coral is accordingly an Orbicella, and agrees very closely 

 in structure with the corals from Urmi figured by Abich * ia 

 1859 as Astrea Guettardi. That the coral is identical with that 

 so determined by Abich I have no doubt ; but his naming of the 

 species is open to question. Orhicella Guettardi was founded by 

 Defrance f on a figure by Guettard X ; the species has been 

 admirably refigured by von Eeuss §, and described by Edwards 

 andHaimelJ. Von Eeuss's figures confirm those of Gruettard 

 in showing that the exotheca is vesicular, that the septa are four 

 cycles in number, that at least the primary septa have paliform 

 thickenings, and that the diameter of the calices is over 10 mm. 

 In all these characters the Urmi specimens are different ; the 

 septa belong to 3 cycles, there are no paliform lobes, the exo- 

 theca is lamellar, and the calices are from 5-6 mm. in diameter. 

 The Persian specimens must therefore be transferred to 0. De- 

 francei (Ed. & H.) %, a Lower Miocene species from Dax and 

 Northern Italy, which has been recorded from Asia Minor by 

 Eischer**, whose figures agree with those of Abich and with 

 Mr. Giiuther's specimen. Michelinff has figured the species 

 irom Northern Italy under the name of A. argiis, Lam., and 

 von E-euss %% has given excellent figures of it. The specimens 

 figured by Abich §§ as Astrea Defrancei are different, and one 

 of them is here described as a new species. 



* II. Abich, Of. cit. 1859, p, 89, pi. ii. fig. 4, pi. T. fig. 5. 



t Defrance, 1826, Diet. Sci. Nat. vol. xlii. p. 379. 



\ Guettard, Mem. sur differ. Parties Sci., vol. iii. 1770, pi. xlviii. figs. 2-4. 



§ Von Eeuss, " Pal. alt. Tertiarsch. Alpen," Denkschr. Akad. Wiss. Wien, 

 vol. xxviii. 1869, p. 245, pi. xxiii. figs. 1, 2. 



II Milne-Edwards & Haime, Hist. Nat. Cor. vol. ii. 1857, p. 462. 



^ Milne-Edwards & Faime, Mem. Astr. pt. 3, Ann. Sci. Nat., Zool. ser. 3, 

 vol. xii. 1849, p. 106. 



** P. Fischer in Tchihatcheff's 'L'Asie Mineure,' Paleont., 1860-1869, p. 314, 

 pi. xvi. figs. 4-6. 



tt H. Michelin, loon. Zooph. 1842, p. 59, pi. xii. fig. 6. 



II Von Eeuss, " Foss. Kor. oster.-ung. Mioc," Denk. Ak.Wiss. Wien, vol. xxxi. 

 1871, p. 239, pi. ix. fig. 3, pi. x. fig. 1. 



§§ Abich, 1859, op. clt. p. 93, pi. ix. fig. 6 ; 18S2, op. cit. pp. 272, 273, pi. vii. 

 figs. 15-20. 



LINN. JOUJIN. — ZOOLOGY, VOL. SXVII. 32 



