PORIFERA. II. 211 



attain a length of o - 093 ram ; according to the description the megascleres of this latter species are of 

 only one kind, viz. tylota. In 1895 the species is again mentioned by Dendy (Proceed. Roy. Soc. of 

 Victoria VIII, 24), who says of the examined specimens that their forcipes are somewhat smaller than 

 those of the type; I suppose that by the type he means the isolated forcipes upon which the species 

 was originally established. The question must, according to this, be of two different species, but as 

 to the former, the one with the large forcipes, nothing definite can be said, as only the forcipes are 

 known, but I think there is some reason to suppose that it is a Forccpia ; and with regard to the 

 latter, which has of megasclera only tylota, it is at present doubtful whether it belongs to Forccpia. 



Finally it is to be remembered that the F. (Trachyforcepia) groenlandica enumerated by Top- 

 sent I.e. is perhaps an independent species. 



As to Forccpia versatilis Tops, see under the genus Asbcstopluma p. 75. 



Thiele (Arch, fiir Naturgesch. 1903, I, 384) says that Carter's generic name cannot be used, 

 as one of the species, by Carter referred to Forccpia eolonensis, of megasclera has only tylota; I 

 think, however, that Carter's name is to be kept, as his original type, to judge from what is stated 

 above, may be supposed to be a Forccpia-species. — When Thiele, in the place quoted, will refer 

 Forccpia to Hamigcra, and at most regard it as a subgenus under this genus, this is surely erroneous; 

 or further particulars regarding this fact see under Lissodendoryx stipitata p. 173. 



Melonanchora Carter. 



The form thickly incrusting or massive, sometimes somewhat lobate. The surface closely set with 

 wart-shaped papilla. The skeleton chiefly polyspicular, but rather irregular, with fibres running chiefly 

 towards the surface , and between them irregularly scattered spicules or spicula-bundlcs. The dermal 

 skeleton consists of very close-lying, horizontal spicules and of fibres supporting the membrane. A slight 

 amount of spongin is found in the skeleton. Spicula : the megasclera are either of two forms, and then 

 the skeletal spicules are sty It, the dermal spicules tylota to strongyla, or only of one form, and then they 

 are tylota to strongyla; microsclera : the characteristic microsclera arc spha^rancora; 1 ), consisting, when 

 fully developed, of two elliptical rings, intersecting each other at a right angle; to these are added ancora 

 spatulifcra; of two sizes. 



1. M. elliptica Carter. 



PI. VII, Figs. 4—6. PI. XX, Fig. 1 a— o. 



1874. Melonanchora elliptica Carter, Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist, Ser. 4, XIV, 216, PI. XIII, figs. 6— 12, PL XV, 



% 35 a — b - 



M The characteristic, melon-shaped ancora was by Carter called «melon-shaped anchorate»; Vosmaer designated 

 it mel.», but an established term did not exist Therefore it was a yen,- natural thing that Topsent (L c. 1S92, 5) wished to 

 give a fixed name to this form, and he chose »spherancister», finding in the individual arcs of the ancorse some resemblance 

 to the diancistra in Hamacantha. The chosen term, however, is very unfortunate, as these ancorse have nothing to do at all 

 with diancistra, but are real ancorse, and this fact ought to be expressed in the name. The most simple thing would be, 

 therefore, to designate this form as melonancora, but by this name there is the drawback that it is the same as that of the 

 genus, and so it may give rise to confusion. I therefore choose to designate these ancorse as sphserancorae, a term showing 

 by its ending that the question is of real ancorse. 



27* 



