495 



rudiments (anlagen) of the "true nephridia" and of the "peritoneal 

 funnels" should not be of ide ntical origin'. 



The reviewer appears still to hold to the view that the nephridia of 

 theOligochaeta are homologous not with the nephridia (excretory organ) 

 of the Platyhelminths and Nemertines, but with the follicle-ducts of 

 the latter ; I contend that recently ascertained facts concerning the 

 anatomy and development of these organs render that theory untenable. 

 It may he said that, if the theory which I on the other hand advocate 

 be true, I should be able to show an Annelid with an undoubted coe- 

 lom into which the "true nephridia" do not open — to this I can ans- 

 wer, that I believe I am now in a position to supply this long sought 

 link in the chain of argument [Nephthys and Glycera: as I hope to 

 show in a forthcoming paper). 



Finally I venture to say, contrary to the opinion of Prof Bergh , 

 that the theory I support is not built »auf fliegenden Sand«, but on 

 the solid and unassailable rock of fact, namely — that throughout the 

 Coelomata we find follicles, or pouches, into which are shed the ge- 

 nital cells, and from which these cells are led to the exterior by 

 "peritoneal funnels". 



6. Die Berechtigung des Gattungsnamens Homandra. 



Von R. V. Lendenfeld, Czernowitz. 



eingeg. 22. November 1896. 



Für den von Haeckel (1872, Die Kalkschwämme Bd. II. p. 83) 

 als Asc andrà falcata beschriebenen Schwamm, habe ich (1891, Die 

 Spongien der Adria I. Zeitschr. f. wiss. Zool. Bd. 53. p. 228 [sep. 

 p. 44]), weil er in Bezug auf seinen Bau wesentlich von den anderen 

 Ascandra- Kxien Haeckel's und den eigentlichen Asconiden über- 

 haupt abweicht, das neue Genus Homandra aufgestellt. In einer 

 jüngst erschienenen Arbeit über die systematische Eintheilung der 

 Homocoela hat nun Minchin (1896, Suggestions for a natural Classi- 

 fication of the Asconidae. Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist. ser. 6. Bd. 18. p. 358) 

 die von mir (1. c.) 1891 aufgestellte Gattung anerkannt, den Namen 

 Homandra jedoch durch Ascandra ersetzt. 



Er hat nämlich alle anderen Arten des HaeckeTschen Genus 

 Ascandra unter die beiden von ihm neu aufgestellten aber mit alten 



* The point is not whether the rudiment of the ,true nephridium' be derived 

 from epiblast or mesoblast, but from peritoneum. Observations show that, althouf^h 

 in the Annelids it may in the course of development take up a position in the 

 septum or in the peritoneum itself, the rudiment can be distinguished before the 

 coelom has been hollowed out and, therefore, before the peritoneum has been formed 



