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.
The imperfectly understood group of the Monticuliporoids, by some authors placed with the Polyzoa (Order Trepostomata), are well represented in Australia by the genus Stenopora ([Fig. 70 F]). The corallum is a massive colony of long tubes set side by side and turned outwards, the polyp moving upwards in growth and cutting off the lower part of the tube by platforms like those in the tabulate corals. Some of the species of Stenopora, like S. tasmaniensis, of New South Wales and Tasmania, are found alike in the Lower and Upper Marine Series. S. australis is confined to the Bowen River Coal-field of Queensland. Stenopora often attains a large size, the corallum reaching over a foot in length.
Neither Jurassic or Cretaceous Corals have been found in Australasia, although elsewhere as in Europe and India, the representatives of modern corals are found in some abundance.
Cainozoic Corals.—
In Tertiary times the marine areas of southern Australia were the home of many typical solitary Corals of the group of the Hexacoralla. In the Balcombian beds of Mornington, Victoria, for instance, we have genera such as Flabellum, Placotrochus, Sphenotrochus, Ceratotrochus, Conosmilia, Trematotrochus, Notophyllia and Balanophyllia ([Fig. 71]).
