Australasian Fossils: A Students' Manual of PalaeontologyChapman, Frederick
Science
Australasian Fossils: A Students' Manual of Palaeontology
Chapman, Frederick
Paleontology -- Australia
The Middle Devonian beds of Australia are chiefly limestones, such as
the Buchan limestone, Victoria; the Burdekin Series, Queensland; and
the Tamworth limestone of New South Wales. These rocks, as a rule, are
very fossiliferous, and the chief constituent fossils are the Rugose and
Perforate Corals. _Campophyllum gregorii_ is a common form in the Buchan
limestone (Fig. 70 A), as well as some large mushroom-shaped _Favosites_,
as _F. gothlandica_ and _F. multitabulata_. Other genera which may
be mentioned as common to the Australian Middle Devonian rocks are,
_Cyathophyllum_, _Sanidophyllum_ and _Spongophyllum_, _Heliolites_ is
also found in limestones of this age in New South Wales and Queensland.
[Illustration: =Fig. 70.--UPPER PALAEOZIC CORALS.=
A--Campophyllum gregorii, Eth. fil. Mid. Devonian. Buchan, Vict.
B--Pachypora meridionalis, Nich. & Eth. fil. Mid Devonian. Queens.
C--Aulopora repens, Kn. & W. (after Hinde). Devonian. Kimberley
district, W.A.
D--Zaphrentis culleni, Eth. fil. Carboniferous. New South Wales.
E--Trachypora wilkinsoni, Eth. fil. Carbopermian (Up. Marine Ser.) New
South Wales.
F--Stenopora crinita, Lonsdale. Carbopermian (Up. Mar. Ser.) N.S.W.
]
In the Burdekin Series (Middle Devonian) in Queensland we also find
_Cystiphyllum_, _Favosites gothlandica_, and _Pachypora meridionalis_
(Fig. 70 B), whilst in beds of the same age at Rough Range in Western
Australia are found _Aulopora repens_ (Fig. 70 C), and another species of
_Pachypora_, namely, _P. tumida_.
=Carbopermian Corals.--=
The only true Carboniferous marine fauna occurring in Australia, appears
to be that of the Star Beds in Queensland, but so far no corals have been
found. The so-called Carboniferous of Western Australia may be regarded
as Carbopermian or even of Permian age. The marine Carbopermian beds of
New South Wales contain several genera of Corals belonging to the group
Rugosa, as _Zaphrentis_ (Fig. 70 D), _Lophophyllum_, and _Campophyllum_.
Of the Tabulate corals may be mentioned _Trachypora wilkinsoni_, very
typical of the Upper Marine Series (Fig. 70 E) and _Cladochonus_.
In the Gympie beds of the same system in Queensland occur the following
rugose corals, _Zaphrentis profunda_ and a species of _Cyathophyllum_.
In the Carbopermian of Western Australia the rugose corals are represented
by _Amplexus_, _Cyathophyllum_, and _Plerophyllum_, which occur in rocks
on the Gascoyne River.
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