STUDIES ON THE COMPARATIVE ANATOMY OF SPONGES. 233 



Genus 6.— Ute (Schmidt, emend.), figs. 13—14, 24. 



Diagnosis. — The ends of the elongated radial chambers 

 are covered over by a well-developed cortex^ composed in 

 great part of large oxeote spicules arranged parallel to the 

 long axis of the sponge. The tubar skeleton is articulate, 

 or else composed entirely of the basal rays of subgastral 

 triradiates. 



Remarks. — This genus I maintain in the same sense as 

 Polejaeff (8) and von Lendenfeld (10). It now includes five 

 species, viz. the original European type, Ute glabra, 

 Schmidt (17), and the Australian U. argentea, Polejaeff (8), 

 U. syconoides, Carter (12), U. spiculosa, Dendy (4), and 

 U. Spenceri, Dendy (4). The spiculation of the dermal 

 cortex, upon which the genus is founded, is paralleled in 

 two species of Leucosolenia, L. asconoides. Carter (12), 

 and L. uteoides, Dendy (16); and also in Leucandra 

 (Aphroceras) alcicornis, Gray, and Heteropia (Aphro- 

 ceras) ramosa. Carter (15j, Indeed, this character gave 

 rise to Gray's family "Aphrocerasidse" (18), which, like other 

 families founded upon an insufficiency of characters, has had 

 to be abandoned. 



The genus appears to be a natural one, but is obviously very 

 closely related to Grantia, and, had it not been already well 

 established, I should have hesitated in attributing generic 

 importance to a character which is found in so many very 

 distinct sponges. 



Sub-genus Synute, Dendy (13), fig. 15. 



Diagnosis. — Sponge compound, consisting of many Ute- 

 like individuals completely fused together, and invested in a 

 common cortex, composed largely of huge oxeote spicules 

 arranged longitudinally. 



Remarks. — I at first thought that my Synute pulchella 

 (13) should stand as the type of a new genus, but I have since 

 come to the conclusion that the complete fusion of the Ute 

 individuals, though perhaps unparalleled amongst sponges 



