248 ^' Annändale. 



fauna of other rogions. The romaining four African genera and the third 

 subgonus of Sporigilla (that is to say, Stratospongilla) are moro intoresting 

 from both points of view. 



Although both N udosporig IVa and Potamolejns aro possibly mere 

 assemblies of convergent species, it is at least noteworthy that the latter 

 seems to have its headquarters in the Congo, while the former is particu- 

 larly well represented in Lake Tanganvika. Potmnolepis is not known out- 

 side Afriea, Avhereas J^iidospoiigilla is found in Palestine, China and possi- 

 bly Celebes. The former genus seems to have been moditied in accor- 

 dance with a llfe in rapid-running wat(»r, the latter with one in the still 

 waters of large lakes.') Strietly speaking, the Tanganyika System is of 

 course part of the Congo system. 



Corcospongilla in several im])ortant cliaracters resembles Potamolepis, 

 which may have been derived from it, at least in part, by the loss offree 

 microscleres of the type called micramphidiscs by Weltner. The genus is 

 only known from Tropical Afriea, Peninsular India and Burma; 2) it has 

 been found in all the river-systems of Tropical Afriea as yet investigated, 

 but not in either the northern or the southern districts of the Continent. It 

 is well represented in Peninsular India, more particularly in the Malabar Zone. 



Str(dospongllla-) has a distribution resembling that oi Cor'vospongilla 

 but more extensive. Single species occur on the one band in South Afriea 

 and on the other in the Malay Archi])elago. In both cases these species 

 have a very wido ränge ; one (S. homhayensU) is found both in Peninsu- 

 lar India and the Himalayas and in Natal, while the other (S. sumatrenns) 

 occurs both in Sumatra and in the Nile system and the coastal districts 

 of Tropical East Afx'ica. Single species are also known from Fiji (S. giUoni, 

 TopsENT) and S. America (S. naviceUa, Carter). 



Pectispovgilla •') has hitherto been thought to be contined to the 

 Malabar Zone of the Indian Peninsular Area, but an examination of a co- 

 type of Spongilla .saiisibarica, AVeltxer, from the Island of Zanzibar con- 

 vinces me that it must be assigned to the same genus as Pectlspovgilla 

 aurea from Travancore and Cochin, the type species of its genus. 



Considering these facts, we may say that, although there is not suffi- 

 cient evidence as yet before us to parcel out the Inland sponge-fauna of 

 Afriea into detinite fauuistic areas, the Spongülidae of the Continent as a 



') Anxanualk, .Journ. As. 80c. Ueng-al, 1913, pp. 82, 83. 



^) Id., Kec. Ind. Mus. VII, pp. 392, 393 (1912); also IXe Congr. internat. Zool., 

 p. 579 etc. (Monaco: 1914). 



■*) AxNANDALE, Faiitia of lU-itisli India, Fresliwater yponges, etc., p. IOC) (1911). 



