ON ALCYONIUM PULMONIS INSTAR LOBATUM ELLIS. 271 



work on ascidians. In the fifties and sixties also it is still somewhat 

 frequently mentioned. After that the name becomes constantly less 

 frequent and in the most recent times it has as good as completely 

 disappeared from the literature. But although in the older literature 

 the species was recorded so very frequently, no author has given us an 

 anatomical description sufficient to enable us to place the species with 

 certainty in the present systeuL For in order to recognise the form, 

 as Giard does, as Polydinum, the proof must first be forthcoming that 

 it actually agrees with the genus Fobjclinum in the arrangement of 

 the intestinal loop, the most important generic character of that genus. 

 For such a proof one seeks in vain in the whole literature of the 

 species. The form has remained, one may rather say, problematical 

 as regards its systematic position up to the present day. By the re- 

 examination of typical, local specimens this question is now solved. 

 The identity of the Alcyonium pulmonis instar lohatum of Ellis with the 

 frequently mentioned Macrodinum pomum (Sars) of recent literature 

 has been established. 



The latter species was first described by Sars (1851) as Amaroucium 

 2)omum, and was placed later by Huitfeldt-Kaas (1896) in the genus 

 Aplidiojms founded by Lahille; together with a newly described species 

 A. sarsii. Hartmeyer (1903) then recognised the near relationship of 

 these two species to Macrodinum crater, described by Verrill (1871), 

 from the Newfoundland Banks, which was the type of the new 

 genus Macrodinum, Ajylicliojysis sarsii was explained as a synonym of 

 M. crater, whilst A. 2Jomum was placed as an independent species in the 

 genus Macrodinum. Bjerkan (1905) afterwards showed that M. crater 

 and M.pomum were also synonyms, and that the species should bear the 

 latter name. This name has been retained until the present day. 

 Now the name pomum has to be replaced by the older nnirvQ indmo- 

 naria, so that the species must now be called Macroclinum pulmonaria 

 (Ell. Sol.). Naturally the position of the species as type of the genus 

 Macrodinum remains unaffected by this change of name. 



In conclusion I add a list of the most important references to 

 Ficulinctficus (Pall.) up to the year 1816, as well as of the whole litera- 

 ture on Macrodinv/m p^ulmonaria (Ell. Sol.) as far as it is known to me 



FICULINA FICUS (Pall.). 

 1478 " Alcio7iii (2iiinta species," Dioscorides, Materia niedica, lib. 5 cap. 90. 

 1599 '' Atci/onio fuberoso in forma di fico, frutto: Alcyonio cpiinto di Dios- 



coride," Imperato, Stor. nat., p. 734 f. 

 1651 ^^ Alcyonium tuberosum," Bauhin & Cherler, Hist. Plant, univ., v. 3 



lib. 39 p. 817 f. 



