FAMILIES AKD GEIfERA OF THE MADBEPORARIA. 103 



Q-enus SBPTASTEiBA, d^Orbigny, Note sur les Polyp, foss. p. 9 

 (1849). 



Colony massive, subplane, convex or sub dendroid. Corallites 

 united by their walls. Calices polygonal, and their margins 

 soldered to those of their neighbours, forming simple ridges, or 

 showing a delicate furrow of separation. Septa large. Columella 

 rudimentary or absent. Pali absent. Pissiparity of calices. 



Distribution. — Fossil. Lias : England, Europe. Eocene : 

 Europe. Miocene : America, Europe. 



CHAPTER ly. 



Subfamily Astr^id^ AGGLOMEKATiE GEMMANTES. Alliances. Genera. 

 7. Subfamily Astrceiclce agglomerates gemmantes. 



Syn. StylinacecB agglomerates, Ed. & H. ; Astrceacece, Ed. & H. ; 

 Merulinacece, Ed. & H. ; EchinoporidcB (pars), Ed. & H. : combined. 



Massive and foliaceous colonies. Corallites increasing by 

 gemmation from the wall, from within the calice, and from inter- 

 corallite tissue. Corallites joined by costse, exotheca, or peri- 

 theca, or fused by their walls. Septa entire or dentated. Endo- 

 theca vesicular, rarely tabulate. 



The Agglomerate Stylinse of Milne-Edwards and Jules Haime 

 {op. cit. vol. ii. p. 232) were separated from their Astrgeacese, or 

 massive budding Astraeidse, because these last had dentate septa. 



In joining these groups into a subfamily no violence is done. 

 As a subfamily the genera collect very naturally into two groups 

 of Alliances. In one the corallites are separate, by their walls 

 being united by costse, exotheca, or peritheea ; and in the other 

 the walls are fused entirely, sometimes not joined at the calicular 



surface. 



Alliance I. Orbicelloida. 

 II. Placoccenioida. 



III. Stylinoida. 



IV. Phylloccenioida. 

 V. Cyathophorida. 



VI. Pentaccenioida. 

 VII. Elasmoccenioida. 



VIII. ECHINOPOROIDA. 



Group-Genus Gal axe a, Oken. 



„ Leptastr^a, Ed. & H. 



