530 A MONOGRAPH OF THE AUSTRALIAN SPONGES, 



Spongia officinalis. Ehlers, ("20) 



Spongia officinalis. Esper. (21) 



Spongia officinalis. Hyatt. (22) 



Spongia officinalis. Linne. (23) 



Spongia officinalis. Pallas. (24) 



Spongia quarnerensis. 0. Schmidt. (25) 



Spongia vei-miculata. Duchassaing et Michelotti. (2G) 



Spongia virgultosa. O. Schmidt. (27) 



Of the numerous varieties of this species, which are found in all 

 parts of the world, two belong to the Australian fauna. 



They are the following : — 



I. EUSPONGIA OFFICINALIS DURA. V. Lendenfeld. 

 Identical with Spongia Lignea Dura. Hyatt (I.e.) 



II. EUSPONGIA OFFICINALIS CAVERNOSA. Ridley. 



Shape and Size. 



It is a difficult thing to describe the shape of this species as it i= 

 so veiy variable. 



Massive rounded, irregularly labose, lamellose. The different 

 varieties differ also in their outer appearance. 



(20) E. Ehlers. Die Espersclien Spongien in der Zoologischen Samm- 

 lung der K. Universitiit Erlangen. Programm zum Eintritt in den Senat 

 der Kuniglichen Fridrich-Alexander Universitiit in Erlangen, 1870, p. 12. 



(21) E. T. G. Esper. _ Die Pflanzentliiere. Theil II., p. 218. 



(22) A. Hyatt. Revision of the North American Porifei'a, with remarks 

 upon foreign species. Part II. Memoirs of the Boston Society of Natural 

 History, Vol. II., 1877, p. 41. 



(23) Linnd. Systema Naturae. 



(24) P. S. Pallas. Elenchus zoophytorum. Hagas Comit, 1766, 1768, 

 p. 87. 



(25) 0. Schmidt. Die Spongien des Adriatischen Meeres. Leipzig, 1862, 

 p. 22. 



(26) P. Duchassaing et Michelotti. Spongiaires de la Mer Caraihe. 

 Mt^moire public par la Society Hollandaise des Sciences k Haidem, 1864, 

 p. 35. 



(27) O. Schmidt. Die Spongien der Kilste von Algier, mit Nachtriigen 

 zu den Spongien des Adriatischen Meeres (drittes Supplement) Leipzig, 

 1868, p. 4. 



