BY E. F. KALLMANN. 349 



Of the several species which other authors have assigned to 

 the genus, there is only one, I think, that can be permitted 

 to remain therein, viz., S. digitata var. gracilis Hentschel 

 (21) ; and as this has the styli partially differentiated into two 

 kinds, it may be looked upon as an independent species. Hent- 

 schel's S. flabdlifonnisy described in the same pajDer as the 

 preceding, appears not to be referable to any hitherto estab- 

 lished genus, and accordingly I propose to constitute it the 

 type of a new genus, Stglism, to be placed in tiie Axinel- 

 lidw. The species which Topsent(W) has referred to Siylo- 

 tella, under the impression that his genus Stylinos was 

 identical therewith, ought perhaps to be included in Hymeni- 

 acidoii, as Dendy has maintained. It is very doubtful, how- 

 ever, whether Stylinos jullieni, the type species of Topsent's 

 genus, can thus be disposed of. The so-called Stylotella i?'re- 

 yularis Kirkpatrick i23), appears to be related to, and is per- 

 haps truly congeneric with, the two species described by White- 

 legge(57) under the names Phakdlia inidtifonnis and Axinel- 

 la symhlotica; at any rate, these three species, — and also, 1 

 should say, Axinella arhorescens R. & D. — might very well 

 be referred tentatively to a single genus, and I, therefore, 

 venture to create for them the genus Axhiosia (with Axinella 

 symhiotica as the type-species) which I would define thus : 

 Axinellidce, typically of ramose or lamellar habit, with a reti- 

 culate, subrenieroid, skeleton formed by plurispicular main 

 fibres joined at more or less regular intervals by uni- or pauci- 

 spicular transverse fibres. Spongin is comparatively scantily 

 developed. The spicules are moderately small conical styli, 

 together with typically fewer strongyla and (or) oxea, all of 

 approximately the same dimensions. Microscleres are absent. 



Stylotella digitata. (PL xix., figs. 1-5; PL xx., fig.2; and 

 text-fig.6). 



Introductory. — This species, now to be known as Stylotella 

 ayminata Ridley, is represented in the collection of the Aus- 

 tralian Museum by sixteen specimens, all from Port Jackson ; 



