66 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM 



CYBELE L'OV&n 



Cybele sp. 

 PI. 4, fig. 12 



From a pebble of compact, black limestone the anterior part 

 of a pygidium was obtained, which, though not furnishing enough 

 data for the description of the species, is still interesting enough 

 to elicit a few remarks. 



The axis is long, conical; its annulations are, in the anterior 

 parts, indicated only along the margin, in the middle part sup 1 - 

 pressed and the ornamentation furnished by two pairs of tuber- 

 cles, while more posteriorly the annulations extend entirely 

 across the axis. There are fiye pygidial pleurae which leave the 

 axis under nearly right angles but gradually become deflected 

 to a direction parallel with the axis. A few tubercles appear on 

 these pleurae. 



The character of the deflection of the pleurae leaves no doubt 

 that this fragment belongs to the genus Cybele. Only one rep- 

 resentative of this encrinurid genus has thus far become fully 

 known from the North American Paleozoic rocks, viz, Cybele 

 w i n c h e 1 1 i Clarke, from the Galena (?) limestone of Minnesota. 1 

 A pygidium has further been figured by Billings 2 as belonging to 

 Encrinuru-s m i r u s, which indicates the presence of 

 Cybele in that part of the Quebec group of Newfoundland 

 that is homotaxial with the New York Black river or lower 

 Trenton group. From Cybele w i n e h e 1 1 i our form differs 

 markedly in not having the pleurae deflected abruptly and in the 

 tuberculation and character of the annulations upon the axis. 

 But it differs from the Newfoundland specimen apparently only 

 in its slow tapering axis, and fuller material would probably 

 prove the identity of the New York and Newfoundland forms. 



In the Lower Siluric of Europe occur quite a number of species 

 of Cybele, viz, 9 in Russia, 6 in Scandinavia, and 2 or 3 in Eng- 

 land (according to Zittel). This relative frequency of Cybeles 

 in Europe contrasted with their extreme rarity in the homotaxial 

 American formations would already suggest the probable deriva- 



1 Geol. Minn. Pal. 1897. v. 3, pt,2, p. 742. 

 * Can. pal. foss. 1865. v. 1, p. 291, fig. 282. 



