l8 ACTINIARIA 



which is acceptedb}^ Had don (1889) ; 1882 andi888 R.Hertwig however attributes a greater systematic impor- 

 tance to tliis family, in as much as he estabhshes a tribus for the genus Edwardsia which is accepted among 

 others by Mc.Murrich (1893) and Carlgren (1893) ; the latter divides the tribus into two families Edward- 

 sidae and Milne-Edwardsidae. 1898 Carlgren again assigns to the tribus a lower systematical rank wliich it 

 has later on generally kept. Mc. Murrich (1904 p. 232) even enlarges it, by placing in it not 

 only the Edwardsia but also Scytophorus and Halcampidae (Auct.), and Delage and Herouard (1904) 

 place in their subordo Edwardsina both the Edwardsinae and the Protantheinae [Gonactinia, Protanthea 

 and Oractis). 



Disregarding the Edwardsiidae we find the other genera belonging to my Athenaria — I leave out of 

 consideration some genera which have been placed in another family, such as Oractis — arranged in a single 

 family Ilyanthidae with the subfamihes Halcampinae, Halcampomorphinae and Andwakianae in the paper 

 of Carlgren (1893) and in that of Haddon (1897) — in the latter paper there are, however, only two sub- 

 famihes, Halcampinae and Halianthinae, while R.Hertwig 1888 divides them into two families, Ilyanthidae 

 and Siphonactinidae. Haddon (1889), however, places both Halcampa and Peachia {— Siphonactinia) in the 

 family Halcampidae. In the work of Andres (1883) our Athenaria, except the Edwardsidae, is represented 

 by four families, Halcampidae, Siphonactinidae, Mesacmeidae and Ilyantliidae, a division also used by 

 Pennington (1885). — the Mesacmaeidae are, however, not mentioned here. Mc. Murrich (1893) disting- 

 uishes 3 famiHes, Halcampidae, Ilyanthidae and Siphonactinidae, but some years later (1904) only 2, Ilyan- 

 thidae and Peachiidae (= Siphonactinidae), while the Halcampids are placed with the Edwardsiidae. 1900 

 Carlgren divides the Athenaria, excepting the Edwardsiidae, in five families, Halcampomorphidae, Hal- 

 campidae, Halcampactidae, Andwakiadae and Ilyantliidae, an arrangement which Pax accepts (1914 p. 609), 

 though he, as well as other authors, does not make use of the term Athenaria. In a paper by Poclie (1914) 

 we find almost the same f amihes, Peachiidae, Halcampidae, Halcampactiniidae, Andwakiidae and Ilyantliidae ; 

 in the former the genera are, however, grouped in another way than in the systems of Carlgren and Pax. 

 Stephenson recently (1918) uses the Ilyantliidae as originally defined, excepting, however, the Edwardsiidae. 



A curious division we find in the works of Delage and Herouard (1901), who regard the Edwardsina 

 and Halcampina as suborders equivalent to the Actinina and Stichodactylina. The first group includes 

 among others the family Edwardsinae, the second the families Halcampinae and Monaulinae, which latter 

 Hertwig (1882) refers to a separate tribus Monauleae, while the Ilyanthinae and the Mesacmaeinae are 

 placed in the third group. 



From which point of view shall we classify my Athenaria viz. mainly the old groups Actinines pivo- 

 tantes sc. Ilyanthidae (s. lat.) ? That it is necessary to separate the genera provided with acontia, from the 

 other genera, hardly needs further discussion, and would not likely be denied by any recent author. As some 

 Athenaria provided with acontia lack a sphincter, while others have a distinct mesogloeal one, it may be 

 practical to divide them into two famihes, Halcampactiidae (Halcampactiniidae) and Andwakiidae, in the 

 same way as we separate the two families Actiniidae and Paractiidae of the Thenaria, on account of the 

 nature of the spliincter. Unfortunately only Pax and Poche have clearly stated their view concerning 

 this question and adopted my opinion. On the other hand, it is necessary further to discuss the arrangement 



