484 EIOHARD EVANS. 



time. Spongilla tanganyikse, therefore, seems to be more 

 closely related to these species, so far as the characters of the 

 skeleton are concerned, than to any other species of the 

 Spongillinse. Of the three species named above, it appears to 

 present closer affinity with Spongilla bohmii than with 

 either of the other two, for in Spongilla nitens and in 

 Spongilla loricata the amphistrongyla are smooth, while 

 in both Spongilla bohmii and Spongilla tanganyikse 

 they are spiny. In the former the spines are more thickly 

 set at the end, which is a special feature of the megascleres of 

 some species of the Lubomirskinse, and which may point to a 

 certain amount of affinity in that direction, while in the latter 

 they are evenly distributed over the whole spicule. In Spon- 

 gilla bohmii the megascleres are curved as in Spongilla 

 nitens, Spongilla loricata, and most of the Lubomirskinse, 

 while in Spongilla tanganyikse they are straight. How- 

 ever, there is among the Lubomirskinse a variety of Lubo- 

 mirskia intermedia, described by Dybowski as var. a, in 

 which the spicules are spiny and almost straight. The spines 

 are evenly distributed, and the ends of the spicules in many 

 cases present the amphistrongylote character. Another feature 

 of Lubomirskia intermedia agreeing with Spongilla 

 tanganyikae is that the microscleres are smooth, and almost 

 equal the megascleres in length. In Lubomirskia baci- 

 lifera and Lubomirskia papyraceathe spicules are Amphi- 

 strongylote, though in the former the spines are arranged at 

 the ends of the spicules, in contrast with those of Spongilla 

 tanganyikse, but to a certain extent agreeing with those of 

 Spongilla bohmii, while in the latter the spines are evenly 

 distributed over the shaft of the spicule, in contrast with those 

 of Spongilla bohmii, but similar to those of Spongilla 

 tanganyikse. 



From these points of comparison it seems that Spongilla 

 tanganyikse as well as Spongilla bohmii must be closely 

 related to the Lubomirskinae. Had it not been for the presence 

 of the gemmule in the small piece of Spongilla tanganyikse 

 at my disposal, I would certainly have placed it among the 



