Victorian Fossils. 221 



Fam. AULOPORIDAE. 

 Genus Romingeria, Nicholson. 



ROMINGERIA RAMULOSA, Sp. nOV. 



Specific Characters. — Corallum apparently attached by the base 

 only, afterwards free ; branching at intervals, sometimes form- 

 ing verticils of three branches. Corallites slender, elongate, 

 trumpet-shaped; walls perforate. Tabulae thin, slightly concave 

 and numerous. External surface of corallites sometimes facetted 

 or angulate ; epitheca finely wrinkled transversely. 



Dimensions. — Length of corallites from 4 to 8mm. ; width at 

 mouth from 2.75 to 3mm. 



Remarks and Affinities. — As regards the relationship of 

 Aulopora to the present genus, Nicholson 23 said that he was 

 " constrained to separate Romingeria from the Auloporidae as it 

 possesses ' mural pores ' in parts, while it further differs from 

 Aulopora proper in having an erect corallum." 



This perforate character in the present form of Romingeria is 

 very well accentuated, nevertheless the whole build of the coral 

 with this exception points to a close relationship with the better- 

 known auloporoids. 



In certain epithecal characters the present species reminds one 

 of Pleurodictyum, one of the Favositidae, so that were it 

 necessary to make a separation, Romingeria might eventually find 

 a place in that family. 



That this present species falls into the genus Romingeria is 

 fairly clear from the fact that the corallum is free, excepting 

 possibly at the base, unlike Aulopora which is attached from the 

 base upwards to the terminals. One of the distinguishing char- 

 acters which marks off the known Romingeriae from the aulo- 

 poroid Syringoporae is its habit of forming verticils of corallites. 

 This feature is also present, though feebly so, in Romingeria 

 ramulosa. The genus is new to the Australian palaeozoic, with 

 the exception of Romingeria foordi described by R. Etheridge jnr. 

 from the Devonian of Reid Gap, near Townsville, Queensland 24 . 



Range of Genus. — Romingeria (formerly Quenstedtia of 

 Rominger) has a geological range from the Silurian to the Devon- 



2 3. On the Structure and Affinities of the Tabulate Corals of the Palaeo- 

 zoic Period, 1879, p. 231. 



24. Geol. and Palaeont. of Queensland, 1892, p. 56, pi. I., fig. 18. 



