NEW GENEiRA OF PALEOZOIC RUGOSE CORALS 199 



PRELIMINAEY DESCRIPTIONS OF NEW GENERA OF 

 PALEOZOIC RUGOSE CORALS 



BY GEOEGE B. SIMPSON 



Prefatory note 



The late Prof. James Hall had planned the preparation of a 

 systematic treatise on the genera of the paleozoic corals, but 

 during his life only the preliminary steps toward the execution of 

 this important work were taken. The comprehensive purpose of 

 the proposed treatise was actually the outcome and continuation 

 of work done for volume 6 of the Paleontology of New York and 

 for shorter papers in the annual reports, in the preparation of 

 which the illustrations and analyses were essentially the work of 

 George B. Simpson. Mr Simpson has continued these analyses 

 for the execution, so far as seems practicable, of Prof. Hall's 

 later plan, and in the course of his work has indicated several 

 new types of generic structure, which are herewith made public 

 in order to insure their claim to recognition, as some delay in the 

 publication of the larger work is unavoidable. As these investi- 

 gations were not reviewed by Prof. Hall, it is proper that the 

 responsibility for their accuracy and stability should rest with 

 Mr Simpson. 



John M. Clarke 

 State paleontologist 



Meniscophyllum, gen. nov. 



Type: Meniscophyllum minntum, sp. nov. 



Corallum minute, horn-shaped, regularly curved; calyx circular, 

 deep; septal fovea conspicuous, situated on the side of the 

 least curvature; septa apparently of the same size, but prob- 

 ably the smaller ones only rudimentary and, except in unusually 

 well preserved specimens, obsolete. The extremities of the septa 

 situated on the side of the greatest curvature become thickened 

 and coalesce, forming in connection with a deposit of stereo- 

 plasma a thickened axis or pseudocolumella. In a longitudinal 

 section this axis has the appearance of the columella of 



