280 Mr. H. J. Carter on 



Sponges geuerallj, had made a genus under the name of 

 " Aplysia,'' which, in 1834, he altered into ^^ Aplysina]^' and, 

 further, divided into two " subgenera," wliich were respectively- 

 characterized by the possession of" flaccid " {fihris jlaccidis) and 

 " more rigid " {rigiditatis majoris) fibres (Isis, Spong. Classifi- 

 catio), thus establishing structurally their most striking differ- 

 ences, as I can testify by possessing specimens of Spong ia 

 Jistularis, Lam., and Aplysina^ Sdt., respectively from Nardo's 

 neighbourhood, that is the Mediterranean. Hence it may be 

 inferred tliat Nardo was acquainted with both forms when he 

 laid down their characters respectively (Venice, 1834). In 

 short, this is certain as regards Spongia fistularis, for Ehlers, 

 in 1870, identified Nardo's type specimen in the Museum at 

 Erlangen with " Verongia jlstularis^'' Bk. (Esperschen Spon- 

 gien &c.). 



In 1864, De Fonbressin and Michelotti made a "tribe" 

 of the " more rigid " of these sponges under the name of 

 " Spong. Hoimogen^," wherein they were classed under one 

 genus named '■'' Luffaria'''' (Spougiaires de la Mer Caraibe, 

 p. 58) ; while Schmidt, in 1870, pointed out, by description 

 and illustration, that which Nardo had done in 1834, only 

 in different terms, viz. the distinction between Spongia Jistu- 

 laris and Aplysina (Atlantisch. Spongienf. p. 30, Taf. iii. figs. 

 15 and 16, respectively), accepting at the same time De 

 Fonbressin and Michelotti's name of " Luff aria " for the 

 former. 



It therefore seems evident that Nardo's first subgenus, viz. 

 " Aply since spongelia^ ^^ constitute my " Aplysinida ; " and that 

 his second subgenus, viz. '^ Aplysinoi velaria,^^ = Spongia Jistu~ 

 laris, Esper (altered generically to " Verongia " by Bower- 

 bank, and subsequently, without any allusion to the latter, by 

 De Fonbressin and Michelotti to " Luffaria,''^ which term 

 was accepted by Schmidt also without any allusion to Bower- 

 bank's name), forms my " Luffarida." 



Hence, in matter of nomenclatural precedence and custom 

 I should have used the term " Verongida " for the family, 

 but having unconsciously adopted that of " Luff'arida " after 

 Schmidt for such sponges, in my classification, " Verongia^^^ 

 as originally instituted, must now come in as a genus illus- 

 trated by " Verongia fistularis^^'' as typical of the " Luffa- 

 rida," unless hereafter it may be considered proper to discharge 

 the latter altogether. It is not necessary that a family name 

 should be based upon that of any particular genus in that 

 family, if upon any at all, for many genera may be formed 

 upon single species by different people and under different 

 names, which finally some one may consider it desirable to 

 place in one family under his own name. 



