On the Carboniferous Corals : Zaphrentis Carruthersi Sp. Nov. From the Mirk Fell Beds and Its Relation to the Z. Delanouei Species-Group

The new species of Zaphrentis described in this paper belongs to the group of Z. delanouei which Carruthers described in 1910. He arranged the members of this group in a lineage, the earliest species of which he took to be Z. delanouei Ed. and H., which he had previously redescribed in 1908. In order to clarify the relations between the new species and the members of this group the morphology and development of the latter are reviewed. The new species is named after Carruthers in recognition of his work both on the development of Zaphrentis delanouei and on the stratigraphy of the upper beds of the Yoredale Series in which the species occurs. THE MORPHOLOGY AND DEVELOPMENT OF THE ZAPHRENTIS DELANOUEI GROUP This review of the morphology and structural change in the various members of the Z. delanouei lineage is based on Carruthers’ descriptions (1908 and 1910) and on an examination of the type specimens in the palaeontological collection of the Geological Survey. Of the species described by Carruthers Z. lawstonensis was doubtfully included in the Z. delanouei main lineage and is not here considered in relation to the other forms. The other known species of the group are Z. delanouei Ed. and H., Z. parallela Carr., Z. constricta, Carr. and Z. disjuncta Carr. Included in the species Z. disjuncta were three forms, Z. disjuncta early form, Z. disjuncta typical form and Z. disjuncta advanced form. These forms are structurally distinct; they represent three stages in the morphological development of ...