A
SYNOPSIS
OF THE
CHARACTERS
OF THE
CARBONIFEROUS LIMESTONE FOSSILS
OF IRELAND.
///
DUBLIN:
PRINTED AT THE UNIVERSITY PRESS,
15
Y M. H. GILL.
1844.
NOTICE.
The
descriptions contained in the following Synopsis have been prepared under
my
direction
by
Mr. Frederick M'Coy, F.G.S., Dublin.
In addition to the Fossils previously known, the Synopsis contains upwards of four hundred
and
fifty
new
species,
which are contained
in
which have been named and described by Mr. M'Coy, the whole of
my
Cabinet, and have been collected
by myself and
friends from the
Carboniferous Limestone System of Ireland.
RICHARD GRIFFITH.
FlTZWILLIAM-PLACE, DuBLIN,
August 28th, 1844.
SYNOPSIS OF THE CHARACTERS OF THE
168
others
;
it
most closely resembles the C. inornata, M'Coy, but
is
more gibbous, and has more nearly equal ends.
Length about one-third of a line.
Sp. Ch.
shell
— Orbicular,
(PL XXIII.
{M'Coy.
Cythere scutulum.
compressed, smooth; sides
flat;
21
).
ventral margin about one-third the length of the
the ends equal, projecting below the ventral margin.
;
This species approaches the C. orbicularis, M'Coy, in shape, but
and the perfect
ventral margin,
Length one
obtusely conical.
Sp.
CA.— Shell somewhat
a slight abdominal
;
while the back
by the form of its
M'Coy, being very gibbous
or
fig.
23).
reniform, sides slightly concave; one spiniform tubercle close to the end on each
sinvis.
alike,
and the
sides a little
line to a
concave
;
there
is
a very small abdominal sinus,
portion of the valve which overlaps
tlie
;
two tubercles are entirely beyond
Length from one
centre.
(PL XXIII.
M'Coy.
spiNiGEKA.
much and regularly curved
is
well distinguished
line.
This species has both ends
this species the
is
flatness of its sides, the sides of C. orbicularis,
Cythere
valve
fig.
this portion,
much thickened
is
;
in
while in C. cornuta, they are nearly in the
hne and a quarter; diameter two-thirds the depth; depth two-thirds the
length.
Cythere tritubercitlata.
Sp. Ch.
—
and ventral margins nearly
which
much
is
This
(PL XXIII.
M'Coy.
Oblong, length rather more than twice the depth, convex
parallel,
closer to the ventral
24).
;
dorsal
each valve Avith three small, round, nearly equidistant tubercles, one of
margin than the other two.
species, in addition to its lengthened,
three tubercles on each valve.
;
fig.
both ends equal, rounded
Length half a
regular form,
is
easily distinguished
from
its
congeners by the
line.
ANNELIDA.
The
animals
;
Annelida, or red-blooded worms, are the least highly organized group of the Annulosa, or articulated
the forms found in the carb. limestone belong to Cuvler's order Tubicola, or those sedentary species
having the
gills
attached to the head, and inhabiting a tube, sometimes shelly, as in Serpula, sometimes nearly
membranous, or formed of agglutinated grains of sand,
as in Terebella or Sabella.
Serpxjla.
Gen. Ch.
—
Linn.
Tubular, gradually widening towards the aperture irregularly attached
;
;
aperture round
;
edge
simple.
Serpula
Serpula
—
Sp. Ch.
Tube thick,
The examples I have
compressa.
Sow.
Sow. Min. Con.
perlaceous (?) rapidly tapering, flexuous; section elliptical.
seen of this species seem more allied to Serpulites than to Serpula
glistening appearance of the surface
lines.
(?) coMPRESSA.
more nearly resembling the former than the
latter genus.
:
the pearly or
Diameter four
;
CARBONIFEROUS FOSSILS OF IRELAND.
Sp. Ch.
— Elongate,
slightly flexuous,
(PL XXIII.
M'Coy.
SekPULA HEXICARINATA.
169
28).
fig.
hexagonal; sides nearly equal, smooth,
a narrow, rounded, pro-
flat;
minent keel on each of the angles.
This species
is
from any of the other Palaeozoic Serpula, by the hexagonal form of the
easily distinguished
Length usually about two
and the six narrow, rounded keels on the angles.
tube,
Serpula parallela.
Serpula
Sp. Ch.
—Tubes very slender,
M'Coi/.
cylindrical, smooth,
width half a
line.
30).
fig.
Portk. Gcol. Rep.
Gold.
socialis.
XXIII.
(PI.
inches,
parallel to each other in bundles; tubes one-
grouped
fourth of a line in diameter.
Tliis curious species differs
from
all
the Serpnla with which I
and without the irregular flexuosity in any part of the
genus
am
acquainted, in being perfectly smooth,
which we commonly
tubes,
see in the other species of the
the tubes are parallel to each other, forming masses three or four inches long, and one inch in thickness.
;
Wlien preserved
conservation
;
in shale they are usually yellowish
in limestone they are white
and semi-transparent, probably owing
and opaque.
It is
exceedingly constant In
certainly not identical with the Serpula socialis, Gold., of the cretaceous period,
tinctive
its
seems best to give
it
mode
to their
characters
of
as it is
;
it
a dis-
name.
Serpula scalabis.
Sp. Ch.
M'Coy.
— Cylindrical, very slowly tapering, tortuous
;
(PI.
XXIII.
shell thick
;
fig.
29).
surface with large imbricating, transverse
rings.
Tliis species is
is
very tortuous.
rendered remarkable by the large, regular, transverse rings on the surface of the tube, which
Diameter two
lines.
Spirorbis.
Gen. Ch.
—Discoid,
spirally coiled, whorls
round; attached by the under
Sp. Ch.
(PL XXIII.
M'Coy.
Spirorbis caperatus.
I
Lam.
side.
fig.
26).
— Discoid, whorls hardly two, very rapidly enlarging, round, strongly wrinkled concentrically.
have only seen one specimen of this pretty
little shell
attached to a species of Fenestella; the strongly
wrinkled surface will distinguish the species.
M'Coy.
Spirorbis globosus.
Sp. Ch.
rounded
;
— Subglobose,
slightly compressed,
differs
the completely concealed volutions;
line,
fig.
10).
smooth; volutions concealed by the
last
whorl
;
back broad,
umbilicus very small.
This very gibbous species
one
(PL IV.
from the S. omphalodes, Gold., in the small
it
size
of the umbilicus, and
most nearly resembles the S. valvata of the Muschelkalk.
Diameter
thickness half a line.
M'Coy.
Spirorbis intermedius.
Sp. Ch.
—Discoid,
flattened
;
sinistral
;
(PL IV.
fig.
9)-
whorls two and a half, round, nearly equal in thickness throughout
a few distant, u-regular, ring-like thickenings.
Tliis species
is
intermediate between the S.
ammonia and the
S. omphalodes,
having the compressed
form, very gradually increasing whorls, and obscurely annulated surface of the former, with a smaller
of whorls, besides which,
it
differs
from both in being
sinistral.
line.
2U
Diameter one
line,
number
thickness one-fourth of a
SYNOPSIS OF THE CHARACTERS OF THE
170
Spirorbis minutus.
Spirorbis minutus.
have not seen good specimens of
I
examined, being very indistinct
;
it
this sliell
Geol. Eep.
Portk.
those on the specimens of Dithyrocaris Colei which I have
seems, however, a very good species.
There are only about two turns in the
ation.
;
Portk.
spire
Serpula omphalodes.
On
certain shale-plants are found
The
abundance of a
Irish specimens are perfectly flat
turns in the spire
;
mouth
the
have not seen
diameter about one-fifth of a
:
Spirorbis omphalodes.
species.
I
Gold.
situ-
?
shell referred
little
except in this
Pet. ?
Gold.
on the attached
it
line.
side,
by Captain Portlock
to the
above
smooth, and having two and a half or three
semicircular. Goldfuss's characters do not exactly agree with those, I have therefore
the reference with a doubt.
marked
Spiroglyphus.
Gen. Ch.
— Discoid;
spirally coiled; parasitic;
forming a deep groove for
M'Coy.
Spiroglyphus marginatus.
Sp. Ch.
a broad,
flat
—Discoid; volutions hardly two;
keel
;
surface smooth.
Parasitic
—Tube
itself in
(PL XXIII.
the surface of shells.
27).
fig.
by
vipper side rounded; attached side flat; externally bordered
on various
one or two
shells in
M'Coy.
Serpulites carbonapuus.
Sp. Ch.
Lam.
(PI.
small, narrow, shelly; terminating posteriorly
localities.
XXIII.
fig.
32).
by two lengthened,
cylindrical tubes, the
prolongation of the lateral, thickened ridges.
This remarkable species
S. membranaceus,
is,
is
intermediate in the texture of
M'Coy, being more
however, greatly inferior to either of them in
or one
size,
width
;
to belong to the
tubes, bordered
My
tube,
the forked, posterior termination
is
a
between the S.
much more
lonc/issirmis,
Sow., and
testaceous than the latter
;
it
the most usual diameter of the compressed tube being one
and a half lines, and the largest specimen which
lines in
its
delicate than the former, but
has, as yet, fallen
new and important
under
my
observation was barely two
character, which, however, I believe
whole genus, rather than to characterize the present species. It is formed of two long testaceous
on the inside of their base by a membranous prolongation of the principal tube.
friend. Dr. Scouler, has recently
shewn me specimens of this
species, collected
by
himself,
from the
Scotch carboniferous shale.
Serpulites membranaceus.
Sp. Ch.
The
—Tube
elongate, curved,
M'Coy.
(PI.
XXIII.
membranaceous; abdominal and dorsal
(?)
fig. .31).
margins thickened.
extraordinary genus Serpulites, hitherto thought so characteristic of the Silurian rocks, as to distin-
guish the slates of that period from those of the carboniferous system, has recently occurred in some abundance in
the shales of the carboniferous period
;
the species, however, appear to be distinct from those in the Silurian rocks.
The present species is of great size, probably exceeding
of being decidedly shelly as in that
fossil, is
that of the S. loitt/issimus
; its
substance, however, instead
excessively thin and membranous, so that the smallest fragments
of the two species could be easily discriminated.
A very interesting fact
is
shewn by our
figure,
namely, that
two opposite points of the circumference of the tube were really thickened, forming two opposite, longitudinal
ridges (or tubes
lines.
?)
and that
this
appearance
is
not due to pressure.
General width of the compressed tube seven
CARBONIFEROUS FOSSILS OF IRELAND.
MCoy.
Sabella antiqua.
Sp. Ch.
— Tube
tapering at one end
This curious
;
composed of very
IV.
fig.
11).
about one
cylindrical for
grains,
fine
diameter of tube about one
(PI.
171
and a
incli
smooth, glossy, membranous lining
They
gradually
When
occurs in considerable numbers in the shales of several districts in Ireland.
fossil
the specimens are well preserved, they shew the finely granular, arenaceous tube, with, in
smaller end.
half,
line.
many
instances, its
the specimens are usually more or less curved, particularly towards
;
are usually about
two
or
the
two and a half inches long.
ECHINODERMATA.
The Echinodermata
are the
most highly organized of the Nematoneura, and form an exceedingly well-de-
fined group.
Some
of them, as the SipuncuUdcB, resemble
and without
feet
;
worms
their internal structure, however,
Holothiirice, which,
though
still
in their external appearance, being cylindrical, soft,
Next come
perfectly that of the Echinodermata.
is
the
without a calcareous covering, approach very nearly in structure to the Echin<e;
they are for the most part oval and smooth, with five rows of ambulacra, or rows of tubular suckers or feet (sometimes scattered over the body) the head
is
surrounded with beautifully pinnate, leaf-like
from those in having the entire body enclosed in a hard, calcareous, spheroidal
lacra,
each composed of two rows of small, pentagonal
tubular, foot-like suckers
;
between the ambulacra are
plates,
five
case,
The Echini
gills.
having
differ
narrow ambu-
five
each plate perforated for the passage of two
sets
of
broader spaces, each composed of two rows of large,
pentagonal, imperforate plates, closely set with sharp spines, which both serve as a defence and assist in locomotion; the
mouth
is
furnished with a complex and powerful dental apparatus, which does not occur in any of the
other Echinoderms.
is
made
The
respiration
is
principally effected
to pass in currents over the lining
the cilia with which they are covered.
general form
is
membrane of the
by
admission of water to the interior, where
tlie
shell
and the surface of the
Following them, we have the AsteriadcE or
star fishes,
depressed and divided into five or more rays, the under side of each of which
is
it
by means of
in which the
intestines,
hollowed into an
ambulacral groove, analogous to the ambulacra of the Echinidce, and pierced for the passage of similar foot-like
suckers
The
;
the tip of each ray exhibits a small red point,
external integument
is
which
and without teeth. By means of the genus Comatula we
which form the lowest group of the Echinodermata.
central
Pal^chinus.
Gen. Ch.
is
considered
by Ehrenberg
to
be a true eye.
coriaceous and covered with hard, calcareous granules, plates, or spines
— Spheroidal;
;
the
mouth
is
pass at once from the AsteriadcE to the Criiioidea,
MSS.
Scouler.
ambulacra composed of two rows of pentagonal
plates,
each perforated by two rows
of pores; anambulacra composed of two rows of pentagonal, and three or more rows of hexagonal plates; plates
covered with spiniforra tubercles, destitute of central ligament
Echinus; mouth ventral,
The above name was
Dublin Society, and
;
anus dorsal, central
;
ovarian plates as in
central.
provisionally given
by Dr. Scouler
to another in the Collection of the
the Geological Society of Dublin under those names
matrix, and considered unique
;
;
specimen in the Collection of the Royal
to a
Rev. Mr.
Fox
at that time the
;
they were exhibited at a meeting of
specimens were obscured by adhering
a satisfactory examination was, therefore, impossible, and in consequence
characters could be given to separate
them from the other recent or
fossil
no
genera; the accession of additional
C;i,3RIB©SfEF3S3R®TLirS
1
2.
Aelacus
Phillipeii
r,.
ENEMIES STr®2f3S