REPORT ON THE RADIOLARIA. 1127 



from the organisation of the Polycystiua solitaria and composita, were quite erroneous. 

 So also ai'e the definitions of the three families into which he divided the Polycystina 

 solitaria, afterwards (in 1875) called by him " Monodictya nassellaria." These three 

 families were the Halicalyptrina, Lithochytrina and Eucyrtidina. With these were 

 also united the three genera of B o t r y o d e a known to Ehrenberg (Lithobotrys, 

 Botryocampe, Botryocyrtis). We entirely separate these here from the true Cyrtida, 

 on account of their lol)ate or multilocular cephalis. 



Whilst Ehrenberg only knew the skeleton of the Polycystina solitaria, the first 

 observations of living Cyi'tida were published by Johannes Miiller, 1858, in his funda- 

 mental treatise. He gave the first description and figures of the central capsule of tliis 

 group, with the characteristic lobes developed from its basal part ; and of the pseudo- 

 podia radiating on all sides [loc. cit., Taf. vi.). The forms described by him were all 

 Mediterranean, one Dicyrtid (Lithomelissa mediterranea), two Tricyrtids [Eucyrtidium 

 zancleum and Pterocanium charyhdeum), and one Stichocyrtid (^Lithocampe 

 tropeziana). 



In my monograph (1862, p. 272—341) I gave a detailed description of all known 

 and some new Cyrtida, and characterised this family by the fundamental monaxonial 

 form of the shell, with two difterent poles (an upper apical and a lower basal pole), and 

 by the unipolar growth, beginning from the apical pole. I pointed out also the 

 peculiar structure of the monaxonial central capsule. At that time I divided the 

 Cyrtida into five subfamilies, in which, however, the Spyroidea ( = Zygocyrtida), 

 and the Botryodea ( = Polycyrtida) were united with the true Cyrtoidea 

 (Monocyrtida, Diftyrtida, Stichocyrtida). 



The astonishing number of new and interesting forms of Cyrtida which I found in 

 the rich collection of the Challenger (beginning from 1876), and mainly in the 

 Radiolarian ooze of the Central Pacific (Stations 263 to 274), enabled me to give in 

 my Prodromus, in 1881, a greatly enlarged and amended system of this important 

 group. I separated there the Spyroidea ( = Zygocyrtida), and the Botryodea 

 ( = Polycyrtida) from the true Cyrtoidea by restricted definition, pointing out the 

 essential difi"erences in the structure of the cephalis in these groups of C y r t e 1 1 a r i a. 

 The latter name, as here used, is therefore identical with the " Cyrtida " of my 

 Monograph. In the Prodromus I divided the true Cyrtida (p. 426) into five sub- 

 families and thirty tribes, corresponding to the differences in the number of the shell- 

 joints and of the radial apophyses, and in the shape of the closed or open mouth. These 

 groups are here retained, but reduced to four families and twenty-four subfamilies, 

 since the Tetracyrtida are better united with the Stichocyrtida (compare below). 



Eichard Hertwig in his work Organismus der Radiolarien (1879, pp. 74 to 86) 

 gave the fiirst accurate description of the finer structure of the central capsule of the 

 Cyrtida, and pointed out their character as true Monopylea, with porochora and 



