[eS eNOLreS ON FRESHWATER SPONGES: 
By N. ANNANDALE, D.Sc., F.A.S.B., Superintendent, 
Indian Museum. 
XIV.—THE GENERIC POSITION OF ‘‘ Sfongilla ultima.’’ 
In describing the species which I called Spongilla ultima I was 
struck by its resemblance in general structure to those which I 
assigned to the genus Corvospongilla (see Faun. Brit. Ind., Fresh- 
water Sponges, etc., pp. 105, 122, figs. 19, 26), but as I failed to 
find in the parenchyma of the original specimens a single birotulate 
flesh-spicule, the species was inevitably assigned to Spongilla. 
During a recent visit to Tanjore in the Trichinopoly district of the 
Madras Presidency I obtained a sponge which agreed closely in 
most characters with “‘ Spongilla”’ ultima but contained many 
such flesh-spicules. A fresh examination of the type specimen was 
therefore made and, after much hunting, a birotulate spicule was 
found, closely resembling those of Corvospongilla lapidosa. More- 
over, specimens of C. ultima sent me from Travancore still more 
recently contain many birotulate flesh-spicules. It is evident, 
therefore, that these sponges are specifically identical and should 
be assigned to Corvospongilia. The birotulate spicules of this 
genus are often so few in number that great difficulty is experienced 
in finding them, and it is by no means improbable that other fresh- 
water sponges of hard consistency and with gemmules in which the 
spicules are arranged horizontally may ultimately, on a critical 
examination of fresh material, have to be assigned to Corvospon- 
gilla. The Tanjore specimens of C. ultima were growing on the 
edge of a concrete basin which formed the outflow of an irrigation- 
channel full of very muddy water. They were almost black in 
colour and grew out from their support in flattened leaf-like 
expansions, some of which were divided horizontally into two thin 
layers by a chitinous membrane. The gemmule-spicules were not 
quite so irregular or heterogeneous as those of the original speci- 
mens, which were from Cape Comorin, but very few gemmules 
were found and it is probable that at the season at which the 
specimens were taken (October) the outer layer of spicules was not 
fully formed. The newly acquired Travancore specimens were 
taken in July and have well formed gemmules. 
I take this opportunity to correct another error in my volume 
in the ‘‘Fauna.’’ On pp. 54 and 121 it is stated or implied that 
the megascleres of the Bornean sponge Tubella vesparium are spiny. 
They are perfectly smooth and are distinguished from those of 
the Burmese T. vesparioides by their stouter form. 
