78 ART. 1. — I. IJIMA : HEXACTINELLIDA, III. 



CAULOPHACID.^. 



Tlie idea of this new family has been conceived by me for 

 the reception of certain genera from the ranks of F. E. Schulze's 

 Asconematidœ, all the rest of this old family being given over to 

 the Rossellidœ. The genus Asconema being one of those thus 

 removed, it is self-evident that the remaining Asconematidœ 

 require a new denomination. 



The Asconematidos, when last treated of by F. E. Schulze 

 ('99, p. 98), were made to comprise those " lyssacinen Hexas- 

 terophora, deren Autodermalia und Autogastralia aus pentactinen 

 oder hexactinen Pinulen mit vorragendem bedornten Radialstrahle 

 bestehen." Seven genera were then referred by him to that family, 

 viz., Asconema Sa v. Kent, Hyalascus Ij., Gaidophacus F. E. Sch., 

 Aulascus F, E. Sch., Sympagella O. Schm., Calycosoma F. E. Sch. 

 and Calycosaccus F. E. Sch. At the same time that experienced 

 writer himself expressed, as on an earlier occasion, his conviction 

 that the Asconematidie and the ßossellid* would not hold out 

 long as separate and distinct families. That he kept up the 

 former family, as he did, was due more to his careful consi- 

 deration of our yet defective knowledge of the forms concerned, 

 than to any other reason. 



After some deliberation I have come, as already indicated, to 

 entertain the view that, while a total amalgamation of the two 

 families seems not advisable, several of the genera mentioned above 

 may even now be annexed to the Kossellidie with advantage to the 

 system. 



