NOTES ON THEEE EECENTLY PEOPOSED AUSTEALIAN TEETIAEY ECHINOID GENEEA G. M. Philip Geology Department, University of New England [Read 29th June, 1966] Synopsis The Eocene brissid genus Gillechinus Fell, 1964 (type species : Gillechinus cudmorei Fell, 1964:=Eupatagus coranguinium Tate MS.) is considered to be a synonym of Brissopatagus Cotteau, 1886. The Miocene temnopleurid genus Irenechinus Fell, 1964 (type species : Irenechinus hentyi Fell, 1964: = Coptechinus pulchellus Bittner, 1892) is considered to be a synonym of Ortholophus Duncan, 1887. Brochopleurus australiae Fell, 1949 (=Psammechinus woodsi Laube, 1869) should also be referred to Ortholophus. The Eocene fibulariid Lenicyamidia Brunnschweiler, 1962 (type species : Lenicyamidia compta Brunnschweiler, 1962) is considered to possess a typical clypeasteroid monobasal apical system. In this note three recently proposed Australian Tertiary echinoid genera are discussed. Although the Tertiary echinoid faunas of Australia are at present being revised, it will be several years before relevant sections dealing with all these genera appear. In the interim it is desirable that some comments be given before these genera become established in the literature. Genus Gillechinus Pell, 1964 This genus was proposed for a species of spatangoid from the " Lower beds, Aldinga, South Australia " which was named Gillechinus cudmorei by Fell. The species is in fact Ealph Tate's MS. form Eupatagus coranguinium and has been cited as such in literature on the Australian Tertiary (e.g. Pritchard, 1891, p. 183). In the collections available to me (including Tate's original syntypes from the Tate Collection, University of Adelaide) it appears that the species is confined to the Upper Eocene Tortachilla Limestone of the St. Vincent Basin, South Australia. According to Fell, Gillechinus is similar to Eupatagus but differs " in the arrangement of the primary tubercles " and the " indistinct closure of the petals ". He goes on to observe that Gillechinus is unknown outside Australia. However, in the comparison of the genus with previously described forms, no mention is made of Brissopatagus Cotteau, 1863 (type species : Brissopatagus caumonti Cotteau). This brissid is world-wide in its distribution (Europe, Egypt, Madagascar, India, N. America) and is confined to Eocene strata. It differs from Eupatagus solely in the tuberculated, somewhat depressed areas anterior to each petaloid ambulacrum of the adapical surface. In some species these depressions may be present only in front of the anterior petals, whereas in others the depressions are not well defined. Indeed, Cooke (1942, 1959) has employed Brissopatagus as a subgenus of Eupatagus, for the differences from Eupatagus hardly warrant its generic separation. Gillechinus cudmorei Fell is a typical species of Brissopatagus. Among previously described forms embraced by this genus it resembles most closely Euspatangus (Brissospatangus) oeyrichi Dames (1877, p. 82-83, PI. 11, Fig. 2) Proceedings of the Linnean Society op New South Wales, Vol. 91, Part 2
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