356 REVISION OF THE MONAXONID SPONGES, ii., 



Rare oxea, of the size of the smallest styli, were observed, 

 v/hich possibly are of foreign origin, since no intermediates 

 between them and the styli were observed. The larger spi- 

 cules, however, are certainly never oxea, nor do they ever 

 approach to an oxeote form : though occasionally, through 

 rounding off at tlieir apical end, they may pass into strongyla. 



Loc. — East coast of Australia. 



Remarks. — In the form of its spicules, Ciocalypta polymas- 

 tia somewhat resembles the type-species of Leucophlceus — i.e., 

 fnassalis Carter(6) ; and it appears to agree with the latter 

 also in certain features of the skeleton. I am inclined to think, 

 therefore, that the two species are congeneric. What the pre- 

 cise arrangement of the skeleton is, in the latter species, how- 

 ever, Carter's description does not make quite clear ; and sub- 

 sequent writers, acquainted with the species, have omitted to 

 state explicitly. Ridley and Dendy(34a) expressed the opinion 

 that Leucophlceus cannot be distinguished from Hymeniaci- 

 don; but, at a later date, Dendy(l4) states that Leucophlceus 

 massalis is identical with Ciocalypta penicillus (the type-species 

 of Ciocalypta) f and mentions that, since the resemblance be- 

 tween these two species was pointed out by Carter himself, he 

 is unable to understand why the genus Leucophlmus should 

 have been proposed. In view of this, I am at a loss to under- 

 stand why, subsequently, Dendy(15) recognised LeucophlcEus 

 as a distinct genus, related to Ilyineniacidon. If it be correct 

 that L. m-assalis approaches rather to Uymeniacidon than to 

 Ciocalypta in the character of its skeleton, then, beyond ques- 

 tion, the species described above is not assignable to Leuco- 

 phlceus, since its fibres are decidedly of the axinellid type. 



Topsent (45) in a paper which I have not seen, has appar- 

 ently wrongly recorded, as Stylotella polymastia, a sponge 

 from Amboina; for Kirkpatrick(23), speaking with reference 

 to Hymeniaciclon conulosum Topsent, mentions that "the 

 nearly related species Stylotella polymastia Lendenfeld, re- 

 ferred to by Topsent (Z.c, p.466), is synonymous with Hy- 

 meniacidon foiest rat u77i(Rid[ey) ." 



