42 



CHOUTEAU CORALS 



rockfordensisjj University of Michigan No. 

 23236; Grove's cotypes, University of Chi- 

 cago No. 31570; figured plesiotype, Illinois 

 State Geological Survey No. 3501 ; other 

 specimens, University of Michigan No. 

 5199, Illinois State Geological Survey No. 

 3515. 



Remarks. — One of the three cotypes is 

 Amplexus rockfordensis Miller and Gurley. 

 The writer selects the largest of the other 

 two original specimens as the holotype and 

 has based the above description on it and 

 the smaller specimen (now called a para- 

 type). 



Winchell's remarks regarding the calyx 

 are misleading; his ideas were almost cer- 

 tainly obtained by grinding down the para- 

 type because none of the specimens possessed 

 a clean calyx. The three specimens (Uni- 

 versity of Michigan No. 23135) identified 

 by Winchell as Zaphrentis Idaf in 1869 are 

 actually Triplophyllites dalei. The writer 

 also questions the identification of specimens 

 described by Winchell in 1870. They can- 

 not now be found but are probably refer- 

 able to T, dalei. 



The variety of T. clijfordanus erected by 

 Grove is identical with T. ida. The writer 

 considers the characters to be of specific 

 rank. 



Genus Hapsiphyllum Simpson emend. 

 Easton 



Hapsiphyllum Simpson, 1900, New York State 

 Mus. Bull. 39, vol. 8, p. 203. 



Diagnosis. — Simple, curved, conical ; may 

 be flattened on one side; calyx moderately 

 deep ; cardinal fossula bordered by edges and 

 by fused ends of major septa; alar fossulae 

 indistinct except in young stages; cardinal 

 septum tends to be shortened in ontogeneti- 

 cally younger species; minor septa may be 

 fused to side of majors toward cardinal 

 fossula; counter septum may be joined on 

 each side by a minor, giving tripartite struc- 

 ture; counter quadrants accelerated; tab- 

 ulae present; dissepiments absent. 



Genotype. — Hapsiphyllum calcariforme 

 (Hall). 



Occurrence. — Carboniferous, especially 

 Lower Carboniferous, of North America, 

 Europe, and Asia. 



Remarks. — Schindewolf considered Hap- 

 siphyllum as a subgenus of Zaphrentoides, a 



procedure in which the writer does not 

 agree (for reasons stated under the discus- 

 sion of Triplophyllites) . For a detailed dis- 

 cussion of the morphology of the genotype, 

 see Schindewolf (1938, pp. 445-447). 



Subgenus Hapsiphyllum Simpson, 

 emend. Easton 



Zaphrentoides (Hapsiphyllum) Schindewolf, 1938 

 [in part], Jahr. Preuss. Geol. Landesanst., 

 vol. 58, p. 449. 



Diagnosis. — Hapsiphyllum with the card- 

 inal fossula on the concave side of the 

 corallite. 



Type. — Hapsiphyllum calcariforme 

 (Hall). 



Remarks. — The type is the only species 

 at present known from North America. 



Subgenus Homalophyllites Easton, new 

 subgenus 



Homalophyllum Simpson, Grove, 1935 [in part], 



Am. Midland Naturalist, vol. 16, No. 3, 



p. 353. 

 Zaphrentoides (Zaphrentoides) Schindewolf, 1938 



[in part], Jahr. Preuss. Geol. Landesanst., 



vol. 58, p. 450. 



Diagnosis. — Hapsiphyllum with the card- 

 inal fossula on the convex side of the 

 corallite. 



Type. — Lophophyllum calceola White 

 and Whitfield, 1862. 



Remarks. — H omalophylluin Simpson, 

 1900 was based on the flattening of the 

 cardinal side of the coral, a feature to which 

 Grove (1935) attributed considerable im- 

 portance, naming these corals "calceolid" 

 corals. The writer agrees with Schindewolf 

 (1938, p. 451) that the flattening is not of 

 great taxonomic value, occurring as it does 

 among several certainly unrelated groups. 

 However, the writer does not agree with 

 Schindewolf that the flattening represents 

 the area by which the corals were attached, 

 but thinks rather that the flattening may 

 have been caused by the coral's lying recum- 

 bent upon that side. Schindewolf also dis- 

 covered (idem, p. 451) by examination of 

 type material of Zaphrentis ungula 

 Rominger, 1876, the genotype of Homalo- 

 phyllum, that H. calceolum of authors does 

 not belong to Homalophyllum. 



Inasmuch as Homalophyllum is well 

 established in the literature of the American 

 Carboniferous, it is felt that the name 



