228 SYSTEMATIC PALEONTOLOGY 



BalanophylUa desmopJiyUum Milne-Edwards and Haime, ISoO, Mou. Brit. Fossil 

 Corals. Palaeontogr. Soc, jip. S.^, 36, pi. vi, figs. 1 and la-lc. 



BalanophylUa desmophyllmn Milne-Edwards and Haime, 1857, Hist. Nat. des Corall., 

 vol. iii, p. 102. 



BalanophylUa desmophyllum Quenstedt, 1881, E6bren-n. Sternkorallen, p. 1002. 



BalanophylUa desmophyllum Vaugban, 1900, Mon. U. S. Geol. Survey, No. 39, p. 164, 

 pi. xviii, tigs. ll-13a. 



Description. — Coralliim siibfiabelliform, attached bj a short pedicel, 

 transverse outlme elongate elliptical. Calice rather deep. Septa thin, 

 in five cycles. The members of the first and second cycles with promi- 

 nent upper margins. The margin of the third also exsert, but not to so 

 great a degree as in the first and second cycles. The members of the 

 fourth cycle have the least prominent margins. Those of the fifth 

 cycle meet and unite in front of the fourth and then fuse to the sides 

 of the third. They are very perforate. Their surfaces are granulate. 

 There are no dissepiments. Costae rather fine, crowded together. Those 

 corresponding to the first, second and third cycles coarser than those 

 corresponding to the fourth and fifth cycles. Those costae correspond- 

 ing to the fourth and fifth cycles fine, acute, present a serrate appear- 

 ance when seen from the side, composed of a single row of granules; 

 those corresponding to the first, second and third cycles of septa con- 

 sist in their lower portion of a single row of granules, but in their upper 

 portion of a double row. Branching by trifurcation. In old speci- 

 mens the costae of the upper portion are wider and more granulated. 

 Occasionally a septum of the fourth cycle will be fused distally to one 

 of the second cycle and a single costa will correspond to the two septa. 

 The perforations in the intercostal furrows are very close together. 

 Wall rather dense, vesiculated. Epitheca rudimentary or absent. There 

 may be an extremely thin pellicle of epitheca just above the place of 

 attachment. Columella very well developed, spongy, vesiculated. 



1 2 3 



mm. mill. mm. 



Greater diameter of calice 14 13 23 



Lesser diameter of calice 8.5 8.3 16.5 



Height of corallum . 18.5 17.5 28.5 



The subflabellate form of this species easily separates it from the 

 other older Eocene species of BalanophylUa in the United States. 



