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Show 1876.] AND LITTORAL CORALS. 431 The corallum is simple, trochoid, straight, free, and without a trace of adherence. The costse are not lamellar; the septa are exsert, being strongly spiued laterally ; the columella is wanting or is rudimentary; and there are well developed pali before the septa of the penultimate cycle. The genus resembles Turbinolia without a columella and with pali. Its solitary species, a well-marked form, with three cycles of septa, and six large pali, was found in the Mayence Tertiary deposits, and was called by D'Orbigny Conocyathus sulcatus, from the grooved appearance of its outside. Two specimens of simple corals were dredged up in Cook's Straits, New Zealand, from no very great depth, and they were evidently within this remarkable genus, differing very slightly from the fossil form. CONOCYATHUS ZELANDIA, sp. n. (Plate XXXVIII. figs. 1-3.) The corallum is conical, the calice being circular in outline ; but the lower third of the corallum diminishes suddenly, there being fewer costse there than above. The base is rounded, and is costulate, tbe costse are in ridges, and have distinct intercostal spaces. There is no columella; but six large upward-projecting pali start around the axis, and are placed before each secondary septum. There are three cycles of fully developed septa, and there are three corresponding cycles of costse ; and in addition there are costse of the fourth cycle in each of the six systems; but they correspond to rudimentary septa. Height -f$ inch. Diameter of calice about T\j- inch. The resemblance of this coral, at first sight, to a Turbinolian without a columella is very striking. The pali are unusually large; and the existence of the costse, and in relation with rudimentary septa of the fourth cycle, is very remarkable. Subfamily TROCHOCYATHACEiE. DELTOCYATHUS ORIENTALIS, sp. n. (Plate XXXVIII. figs. 4-7.) The corallum is short, turbinate, widely open at the calice, and it has a circular spot to its base, which is without costse. The columella is exceedingly small; the primary septa are very exsert; and the costse are subequal, crowded, granular, and project from the wall. The septa are in four cycles ; but the higher orders are incomplete in some systems. The pali are small and lower before the tertiaries, and prominent and tall but not broad before the secondaries. All the septa and the pali are closely granular. Height of coral £ inch. Breadth of calice ^ inch. Locality. Japanese seas. N. lat. 34° 12', E. long. 136° 20', in 52 fathoms. Collected by Capt. St. John. PARACYATHUS PERSICUS, sp. n. (Plate XXXVIII. figs. 8-10.) The corallum is short, and the base is broader than the calice, which is shallow and open. The costse are well developed, rounded and subequal. The septa are close and crowded, broad, not exsert, 29* |
