284 A MONOGRAPH OF THE AUSTRALIAN SPONGES, 



The canal system appears very lacunose. The granules in tlie 

 mesoderm are not numerous or absent. Foreign bodies are never 

 found loose in the ground-substance. (1) 



The geographical distribution of the species is a very wide one ; 

 they grow in shallow water. 



Although some of the Dysidea described by Mai'shall (2), and 

 perhaps also some species of Holopsamma described by Carter (3)^ 

 may belong to my Aulenina? ; I cannot place them there. Marshall's 

 species should I think, be left in the group Dysidea, for which a 

 Sub-family of the SiJongelidm might be erected. Carter's descrip- 

 tions are so short that without re-examination of the type 

 specimens their position in my classification cannot be made out 

 with great certainty, particularly as they are not accompanied by 

 illustrations. 



The genera described by these authors (I.e.), which come near to 

 my Sub-family, I shall now criticise : — • 



Psammascus (4) Marshall, is tube-shaped, and therefore very 

 different. 



Dijsicha. (5) Marshall, has foreign bodies in all fibres. 



Psammoclema. (6) ]\Iarshall, has no connecting fibres. 



Psammoperama. (7) Marshall, is a mass of sand with " little 

 Protoplasm." 



(1) Both Marshall and Carter described many sponges with foreign 

 bodies in the groimd-substance. I have seen similar forms, but believe that 

 they are more rare than is assumed, as by cutting sections through such 

 sponges which have a thick skin protected by sand, one invariably scatters 

 many sand granules throughout the soft parts where they remain imbedded. 

 In this way the observer may be occasionally deluded. 



(2) 11'. Marshall. Ueber Dysideidcn und Phoriospongien. Zeitschrift 

 fiir wissenschaftliche Zoologie. Band XXXV., Seite 92 ff. 



(3) H. J. Garter. Description of Sponges fi'om the neighbourhood of 

 Port Phillip Heads, South Australia continued. Annales and Magazine of 

 Natural History. Series 5, Vol. 15, p. 211, ff. 



(4) W. Marshall. Ueber Dysideiden und Phoriospongien. Zeitschrift 

 fiir wissenschaftliche Zoologie. Band XXXV., Seite 92. 



(5) ir. Marshall. L.c, Seite 98. 



(6) W. Marshall. L.c, Seite 109. 



(7) W. Marshall. L.c, Seite 113. 



