DESCRIPTION OF SPECIES BRACHIOPODA Sll 



SYRINGOTHYRIS SAA1PSONI n. sp. 

 Plate 14, figure 4 



Description. — Pedicle valve with an enormously elevated cardinal area 

 whose height is about equal to its width along the hinge line ; throughout 

 the greater part of the area its surface is essentially flat, but it becomes 

 a little concave toward the beak; the delthyrium is narrowly triangular, 

 its width at the base being less than one-third its total height; beak 

 pointed, rather small, a little curved; anterior and lateral slopes of the 

 valve poorly preserved in the specimen examined, but a non-plicate 

 median sinus is present which originates at the beak and is apparently 

 rounded in the bottom, becoming profound anteriorly; the markings of 

 the lateral slopes are not well preserved, but doubtless were similar to 

 those of the opposite valve; the cardinal margins between the lateral 

 slopes and the cardinal area are apparently sharply defined. Brachial 

 valve depressed convex, with a median fold which is depressed convex 

 toward the beak, but becomes elevated somewhat strongly toward the 

 front; the lateral slopes marked by simple, rather broad, depressed con- 

 vex plications, of which there are about fifteen on each side of the fold. 

 Surface of the shell marked by minute papillae arranged in concentric 

 rows, about seven or eight occupying the space of 1 millimeter; the 

 papillae of successive rows are alternate in position, and extending an- 

 teriorly from each is a minute groove which terminates at about the line 

 of the next succeeding row of papillse; taken in the aggregate, these 

 grooves give to the surface the appearance of being covered with minute 

 shingles with a papilla at the lower extremity of each. 



The approximate dimensions of the best example observed are : Length 

 of hinge line, 74 millimeters; height of cardinal area, 57 millimeters; 

 width of delthyrium at hinge line, 16 millimeters; length of brachial 

 valve, 45 millimeters. 



Remarks. — Aside from some fragments too imperfect to show the real 

 characters, this species is represented in the collection by a single exam- 

 ple, which is made the type. The specimen is badly crushed antero- 

 posteriorly, but nearly the entire cardinal area is preserved with but 

 slight distortion. The species may be distinguished from other members 

 of the genus by its proportionately higher cardinal area, it being more 

 nearly approached in this respect by S. typa. In the proportions of its 

 area the species is most nearly like the European S. cuspidatus, but in 

 its typical form the area of that species is convex, sometimes strongly 

 so, 7 while in the Fern Glen species the area is concave toward the beak. 



7 See Martin : Petrif. Derb., pis. 46-47, figs. 3, 4, 5. 



