Miocene_Mason Posted July 1, 2018 Share Posted July 1, 2018 At the astonishingly rich Miocene fossil sites collectively known as Calvert Cliffs, a somewhat common find is a piece of white coral with little starry corallites protruding from its surface. This is Astrhelia palmata. This is all fine and dandy, but for the fact that I can’t tell it from any other star coral (for example the ones they find in aurora), and from what I can gather, few can. Where is the original description? The internet seems confused and tells me variously that Lamarck (1815) described it or that Georg Goldfuss did. Which one is true? I would like to read the description if possible (and also curse the name of the culprit who forgot the e in aster), and see if I can understand it. “...whilst this planet has gone cycling on according to the fixed law of gravity, from so simple a beginning endless forms most beautiful and most wonderful have been and are being evolved.” ~ Charles Darwin Happy hunting, Mason Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oilshale Posted July 1, 2018 Share Posted July 1, 2018 The original name in Lamarck's paper seems to be Madrepora palmata (Lamarck, J.-B. M. de. (1816). Histoire naturelle des animaux sans vertèbres. Tome second. Paris: Verdière, 568 pp., available online at http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/item/47698 ) . The (very short) description is about a recent species. I have no idea about the Goldfuss paper The genus Astrhelia was created by Milne-Edwards & Haime, 1849 1 Be not ashamed of mistakes and thus make them crimes (Confucius, 551 BC - 479 BC). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
doushantuo Posted July 1, 2018 Share Posted July 1, 2018 below: 6a,b: "M.palmata" Goldfuss 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oilshale Posted July 1, 2018 Share Posted July 1, 2018 Online Goldfuss Petrefacta Germaniae: http://www.zobodat.at/pdf/MON-GEO_0191_0001-0252.pdf Be not ashamed of mistakes and thus make them crimes (Confucius, 551 BC - 479 BC). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miocene_Mason Posted July 1, 2018 Author Share Posted July 1, 2018 10 hours ago, oilshale said: The genus Astrhelia was created by Milne-Edwards & Haime, 1849 So must’ve been a mix up between the modern and fossil palmata. Do you know where I could find that description? I wonder if that has Astrohelia Or Astrhelia. “...whilst this planet has gone cycling on according to the fixed law of gravity, from so simple a beginning endless forms most beautiful and most wonderful have been and are being evolved.” ~ Charles Darwin Happy hunting, Mason Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miocene_Mason Posted July 1, 2018 Author Share Posted July 1, 2018 10 hours ago, doushantuo said: below: 6a,b: "M.palmata" Goldfuss Awesome! But now the spelling is different? “...whilst this planet has gone cycling on according to the fixed law of gravity, from so simple a beginning endless forms most beautiful and most wonderful have been and are being evolved.” ~ Charles Darwin Happy hunting, Mason Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miocene_Mason Posted July 1, 2018 Author Share Posted July 1, 2018 Rough translation for the above: “The polypier is subdendroid and results from irregular gemmation. The perimeter of the chalices is very weakly striated. The columella is rudimentary, and there is no palis properly so called. The partitions are serrated. The chambers of the polycarites are filled very little by the invasion of the wall fabric. Although it certainly belongs to the Oculins family, this genus is, however, a form of passage to the group of Asians, and particularly to the Cladangies. It comprises three species that are specific to average tertiary formation. 1. ASTROBELIA PALSIATA Madrepora palmata, Goldfuss, Petref Germ., T.I, p. 93, pl. 30, ig.6, 1629. Oculina palmata, Bronn, Ind. Pal., p.333, 1849. Astrhelia palmata, Milne Edwards and J. Haine, Britizh fossil Corals, Intn p. xx, 1850.- Ann. Se. nat., 3rd ser., t. XIII, p. 74, 1830 Polypier with branches partly welded and forming a webbed mass. Wide and curved costal striae. Calyces little unequal, deep, with not protruding edges, but distinct from the conenchyma. From 12 to 20 principal partitions, not very unequal, very slender, not overflowing, narrow, finely faced with prominent grains; their internal teeth simulate a small spongy columella; an equal number of rudimentary partitions. Diameire of chalices, 2 to 3 millimeters. Miocene: Chesapeak-Bay (Maryland).” “...whilst this planet has gone cycling on according to the fixed law of gravity, from so simple a beginning endless forms most beautiful and most wonderful have been and are being evolved.” ~ Charles Darwin Happy hunting, Mason Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oilshale Posted July 1, 2018 Share Posted July 1, 2018 6 hours ago, WhodamanHD said: So must’ve been a mix up between the modern and fossil palmata. Do you know where I could find that description? I wonder if that has Astrohelia Or Astrhelia. This must be the Milne-Edwards & Haime paper http://hybodus.free.fr/pdf/Monographie des coraux fossiles de Grande-Bretagne-Milne-Edwards.pdf Be not ashamed of mistakes and thus make them crimes (Confucius, 551 BC - 479 BC). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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