Sitzung vom 17. Juli 1900. \ß{ 



cimen of very delicate texture in the Museum of the Jardin 

 des Plantes at Paris, from wliich J obtained the bifurcated 

 rectangulated hexradiate form of spiculum, represented in 

 the "Transactions of the Royal Society" for 1858, pl. 25, 

 fig. 38 and "Monograph of British Spongiadae", Vol. I, 

 p. 55, pl. 8, fig. 188. This singular form is peculiar to 

 that species; and there are other forms of spicula and 

 peculiarities of structure that unmistakably stamp it as a 

 distinct species from Ä. speciosum. The large longitudinal 

 radial lines of the skeleton do not all pass in the great 

 terminal oscular area of the sponge; the greater portion of 

 them terminate when they reach the marginal ring of the 

 oscular area; about one in every three or four pass the 

 ring and form a portion of the reticulation of that great 

 area. The distal termination of this sponge very closely 

 resembles that of Alci/oiiceUtwi speciosum [Eiiplectella asper- 

 gilluni Owen) figured in the Transactions of the Zoological 

 Society, Vol. III. p. 203. The primary or radial lines of 

 the skeleton of this species are symmetrically parallel, and 

 nearly straight from the lower part of the sponge to the 

 apex. The secondary or transverse series of skeleton- 

 structures pass round its parietes within the primary or 

 radial lines of the skeleton, at about right angles to them. 

 This species is designated by Prof. Valenciennes Alcyon- 

 cellum corhicida. It was obtained in 80 fathoms of the 

 Island of Bourbon." 



Endlich erwähnte Bowerbank noch zwei andere Stücke 

 des Pariser Museums, welche beide zur GdiMmig Alcijmicellum 

 aber wahrscheinlich zu anderen Arten gehören dürften, deren 

 eines auch die Bezeichnung AlcyonceUum corhicula trage. 



In demselben Jahre 1867, aber später als Bowerbank, 

 stellte dann J. E. Gray in den Proc. Zool. Soc. Lond. 

 1867, pag. 529 und 530, neben die Gattung Euplectella 

 Owen mit den beiden Species Euplectella aspergiUum Owen 

 und Euplectella cucumer Owen, zwei neue Gattungen Cor- 

 hitella J. E. Gray und Heterotella J. E. Gray. Beiden ge- 

 meinsam sind folgende Charaktere: „Tube formed of fasci- 

 cules of filiformes spicules placed in various directions, 



