304 PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM vol. 105 



Affinities: Smittinella ruhrilingulata agrees more closely with 

 Johnston's description (1847, p. 310), and fairly so with his figures 

 (pi. 54, fig. 9), of his Lepralia landshorovii 1847 than do most of the 

 species subsequently allocated to that elusive form. He describes 

 the aperture (p. 310) as "somewhat prominent, oblique, patulous, 

 unarmed, circular, situated on the proximal side, and in the center 

 of this sinus there is usually a small mucro." In his figures the 

 aperture appears to be much larger in proportion to the rest of the 

 zooecia than is the case in S. ruhrilingulata. Also, ovicells are lacking 

 in his material. He cited the species as rare. Subsequent bryozoolo- 

 gists, in great and earnest respect for the early workers, have attempted 

 to reconcile later finds and possibly a number of different species with 

 the early descriptions; consequently, in the cases of Lepralia lands- 

 horovii (Smittina) and Lepralia reticulata (Smittoidea) the synonymy 

 or misidentification is truly chaotic. Brown (1952, pp. 319-320) has 

 attempted to clear up the matter of S. landshorovii by reexamination 

 of museum material, selection of a neotype, and a redefinition of the 

 species. Johnston did not mention or figure either the ovicell, avicu- 

 larium, or lyrula (if such were present in his material) — three very 

 essential features in the accurate determination of a smittinid species. 

 Brown has added these features to the revised description. Smittinella 

 ruhrilingulata does not agree with Brown's description of Smittina 

 landshorovii in regard to its ovicell and also because an oral avicularium 

 has not yet been found. Moreover, the primary orifice and peris- 

 tomial channel of S. ruhrilingulata are distinctive or unusual features, 

 hence it v/as thought best to make the Antarctic form a new species 

 rather than to call it another dubious S. landshorovii. 



Genus Smittoidea Osburn, 1952 



Smittoidea Osburn, 1952, pp. 392, 408.— Bassler, 1953, p. G209. 



Remarks: Osburn erected this genus for those Smitiinas having an 

 areolate granular pleurocyst, a porous ovicell, well developed lyrula 

 and cardelles, and a median suboral avicularium that is either enclosed 

 within the peristomial sinus or very close to it. The avicularial cham- 

 ber is symmetrical, i.e., developed from an areolar pore on each side 

 of the aperture. Osburn lists the genotype as Smittoidea prolifica 

 Osburn but Bassler considers S. prolifica synonymous with Lepralia 

 reticulata Johnston, 1847, and lists the latter as the genotype for 

 Smittoidea. The illustrations of S. prolifica (Osburn, pi. 48, fig. 7) 

 and L. reticulata (Johnston, pi. 55, fig. 10) seem to be in fairly close 

 agreement except that Johnston's figure is quite diagrammatic or 

 "stylized" and could fit several closely related species. 



