FAMILIES AND GENERA OF THE MADEEPOEAEIA. 79 



dicliotomous, free soon or almost entirely so. The calices have 

 an irregular margin, and are more or less circular or subcircular, 

 and they are shallow. The columella is rudimentary, or absent. 

 The septa are numerous, and nearly equidentate. The endo- 

 thecal dissepiments are oblique and well developed. The wall is 

 naked, or may have a rudimentary epitheca, and is covered with 

 equal or subequal granular costse. Circular expansions of the 

 wall occur at different heights, and may or may not unite with 

 those of other corallites. 



Distribution. — Fossil. Trias: Europe. Jurassic: England and 

 Europe. Secondary : Europe. Tertiary : Europe, Sind, Aus- 

 tralia ? 



Gi-enus Pletjrophtllia, E. de Fromentel, Introd. a V etude des 

 polyp, foss. p. 140 (1858-60). 

 Colony with small diehotomous or trichotomous branches. 

 Corallites cylindrical, multiplying fissiparously. Calices with the 

 septa arranged on the heptameral type, one of the seven large 

 Bepta being the most developed, and reaches the axis vt^ithout 

 diminishing in thickness, and replaces a columella. The wall is 

 covered with a thick epitheca, swollen in bourrelets here and 

 there. 



Distribution. — Fossil. Portland Oolite : Europe. 



Genus Dendeocoba, Duncan, Deep-Sea and Littoral Corals, 

 Proc. Zool. Soc. 1876, p. 438. 



Colony bushy, branching from all parts, frequently in one plane. 

 Branches different in length, slender. Calices terminal, round, 

 shallow or elongate when undergoing fissiparity. Columella lax 

 and trabecular. Septa denticulate, wdth pali before those of the 

 third cycle. Costae distinct, broader than the septa of the calicular 

 margin, and are sharply granular over the all. Wall thick. 

 Endotheca tolerably abundant. Epitheca absent. In some 

 branches the fissiparity is repeated to form short series. 



Distribution . — Becent. Atlantic, West coast of Africa. 



Genus Dacttlosmilia, d'Orbigny^Note sur les Folyp.foss. 

 p. 6 (1849). 



The colony is dendroid, and has diehotomous corallites. The 

 columella is spongy and well developed. The septa are dentate 

 and in three or four cycles, and there are pali before all, with the 



