2IO 



PORIFERA. II. 



on it the genus Trachyforcepia ; he establishes it with some hesitation, and I cannot, in the spinulation 

 of the styli, find sufficient reason for the formation of a genus, so much the less, as transitions are 

 always found, and this is also here the case. 



The genus Forcepia is a well characterized genus, and now it contains a rather great number 

 of distinct species. As in several other places among the sponges, the authors have not originally had 

 an eye for the characteristic specific differences, and have regarded the occurrence of forcipes, even if 

 they were somewhat different, as a sign of specific identity. Carter and Vosmaer, therefore, have 

 blended different species. As mentioned under F. falricans, the F. bullosa Cart, mentioned by Top- 

 sent, is not Carter's species, but a new one, what is seen distinctly from the spiculatiou, which is 

 as follows: 



F. lullosa Cart. 

 F. lullosa Tops. 



Styli 



0-56" 



071" 



Tylota 



o - 3o8 mm 

 0-36-0-415" 



Chelae 



0-038" 

 0-033" 



Forcipes 



Sigmata 



0-038 mm 

 0-037—0-057" 



0-067""" 

 - II — 0-I2 mm 



Further Topsent's species has sometimes some spines on the styli, and forcipes seem to be of two 

 or three forms. I propose for Topsent's species the name of F.azorica. Thus the result will be that 

 Carter's species F. lullosa keeps its name, Vosmaer's F. lullosa is identical with F. falricans 

 Schmidt, and Topsent's F. lullosa gets the name F. azorica. 



According to this, the genus Forcepia contains at present the following species: 



1866. Forcepia (Halichondria) forcipis Bow. 



1874. — (Esperia) falricans O. Schmidt. 



1876. — (Halichondria) lullosa Cart. 



1885. — crassanchorata Cart. 



1887. groenlandica Frstdt 



1895. — Carteri Dendy. (This species occupies a special place, as, according to the description, 



it does not seem to have skeletal spicules, but only dermal spicules. The main 



skeleton is chiefly composed of sand.) 

 1904. imperfecta Tops. 



— Topsentii n. sp. 



— Thielei n. sp. 



— asorica nom. n. (== lullosa Tops. 1. c. 1904, nee Carter). 



It is still to be added that Carter in 1874 (Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist Ser. 4, XIV, 248, PI. XV, 

 fig. 47) has established a species, F. colonensis. At the time of the establishing only the forceps was 

 known, which had been found isolated; it was very large, o-26 mm . In 1885 he (ibid. Ser. 5, XV, no. 

 PI. IV, fig. 2 a — e) refers a species to this one, the forcipes of which are of a similar form, but only 



