﻿part 4] PHILLIPSASTR-ZA HENNAHI, AND OBIONASTRJEA. 



287 



assigned Astrea hennahi of Lonsdale to Dana's genus Arachno- 

 phyllum. 



Fritz Freeh (1885), ' Die Korallenfauna des Oberdevons in 

 Deutschland ' Zeitschr. Deutsch. Geol. Gesellsch. vol. xxxvii, 

 pp. 44 et seqq., has anticipated me in merging Smithia and the 

 Devonian species of ' Acervularia^ ; he also questioned the right 

 of including PJiillijJsastrcea radiata in the same genus. 



Eudolph Schafer (1889), 'On Phillipsastrcea d'Orb., with 

 special reference to Phillipsastrcea radiata S. Woodward sp. 

 & Phillipsastrcea tuberosa McCoy sp.' Geol. Mag. dec. 3, vol. vi, 

 1889, pp. 398-409, pi. xii, reviewed the literature of PMlUpsastrcea* 

 and redescribed the species of Orionastrcea mentioned in the title 

 of his paper. He examined McCoy's types at Cambridge and 

 specimens of Orionastrcea in the British Museum, and came to 

 the conclusion that these forms did not possess a columella, and 

 therefore the basis upon which Edwards & Haime separated 

 Phillipsastrcea and Smithia had no real existence. 



I must modify Schafer's assertion, that the Carboniferous species 

 do not possess a columella, 1 by the statement that a columella 

 may be present or absent ; although in most cases it is present, 

 the columella is admittedly merely the dilated prolongation of the 

 counter-septum, but in this origin it does not differ from the 

 columella in other Rugose genera. Even if Schafer had been 

 correct in his statement concerning the absence of a columella 

 in Orionastrcea, there still remains the very striking character of 

 Phillipsastrcea that is not developed in the former : namely, 

 the peculiar septal dilations already described. 



Several other palaeontologists have discussed the genera Phil- 

 lipsastrcea and Smithia ; but. in every case, they have contented 

 themselves with the question of the identity of the two ' genera,' 

 and have neglected to inquire into the legitimate application of the 

 names. In fairness to these authors, it must be stated that they 

 decided that the genera were identical, and consequently the other 

 question did not concern them. 



Generic Characters. 



The corallum is composite and massive ; the corallites are united 

 by their dissepimental tissue, or are separated by ajbMn_epitheca 

 ojiiy : in the former case the septa are often confluent. In the 



1 It should be noted that some of Schafer's own figxires (5, 6, & 7) show the 

 columella, and that, although in figs. 1 & 2 no columella is represented, yet in 

 the actual specimens (R. 541 & 56740) the columella is prominent. Schafer 

 quoted Kunth (Zeitschr. Deutsch. Geol. Gesellsch. vol. xxii, pp. 30-37, pi. i, 

 figs. 4 rt-4 cZ) to support his contention that there was no fundamental difference 

 between the Devonian and the Carboniferous species of Ph illipsastrsea ; but, 

 as a matter of fact, Kunth's figure of Ph. hennahi bears very little resemblance 

 to theactual type, and may be dismissed from the argument. The major septa 

 are shown in these figures to unite in the centre of the corallite, and so form 

 a ' columellarian tubercle ' ; moreover, they do not' appear to dilate at the 

 theca. 



