REPORT ON THE RABIOLARIA. 1G43 



of the Challengerida (Sitzuugsb. med.-uat. Gesellsch. Jena, Dec. 12, 1879, p. 5). But 

 I united at that time the true Challengerida with the Tuscarorida, which, however, are 

 sharply separated by the entirely different structure of their shell In Plate A given by 

 Dr. John IMurray, and mentioned above, figs. 1-14 represent genuine Challengerida, 

 with diatomaceous shell -structure, whilst figs. 15-20 are Tuscarorida, with porcellanous 

 shell-structure. These latter, therefore, are more closely allied to the Cii-coporida, 

 whilst the Challengerida exhibit a closer affinity to the Medusettida and CastaneUida. 

 But the two latter families never possess that peculiar extremely regular and delicate 

 diatomaceous structure which is exhibited only by the Challengerida. 



The general form of the Challengerida is rather simple, usually more or less ovate, 

 sometimes nearly triangular, at other times subspherical. In nearly aU species, with a few 

 exceptions, the shell is more or less compressed from the two sides, so that its horizontal 

 transverse section is not cii'cular, but elliptical or lanceolate. In many species the 

 shell is more or less lenticular, with a sharp or sometimes keeled margin. This margin 

 lies in the sagittal plane of the body, whilst the two flat sides are right and left. The 

 main axis is always perpendicular, and its oral or anterior pole is marked by the open 

 mouth of the shell ; the latter is in the living organism probably the upper pole, 

 whilst the opposite aboral or jjosterior pole (often marked by large spines) is the lower 

 pole. The dorsal margin of the mouth is usually different from the ventral, and in the 

 majority of species this difference is so striking, that right and left sides of the body 

 may be recognised immediately, the fundamental form being dipleuric or bilaterally- 

 symmetrical. In a few species, however, and mainly in those simplest forms in 

 which the ovate shell has a cii-cular mouth without teeth, and a cii'cular transverse 

 section, that difference is not recognisable, and the ovate shell is monaxouial, as it is in 

 Gromia and Lagena among the Foraminifera (PI. 99, figs. 19, 20, 22). The size of the 

 shell is in the majority of species between 0'2 and 0"5 mm.; there are, however, some 

 very small species, in which the diameter of the shell is only 0"05 to 0'08, or even less ; 

 and some large species, the diameter of which attains 0"8 to 0*9 mm. 



The peculiar structure of the siliceous shell-wall, which we call shortly "diato- 

 maceous," and by which the Challengerida difl'er from aU the other Ph^odaria, has 

 been already represented very well by Dr. John Murray, in PI. A. of the Narrative 

 (vol. i. p. 266, figs. Ic— le, 2a, 4a, 7a, 7b). This elegant diatomaceous structure is 

 extremely similar or nearly identical with that well-known regular structure which we 

 find iu the common Diatomaceae or Bacillarise. The entire surface of the shell is 

 covered with a very great number of very small pit-like depressions, perfectly regular, 

 circular in form, equal in size, and quiucuncial in arrangement. The neighbouring- 

 equidistant pits are always surrounded by regular hexagonal frames of equal size, and 

 the prominent fine crests of these frames produce the regular hexagonal tracery, which 

 gives to the shell such a striking similarity to that of the Diatomacese. According to 



