428 Prof. W. J. Sollas 07i the 



1871. Thenea WaUichii, V. Wright. 



1872. Tetliya ar/ariciformis, Kent. 



187.J. Tisiphonia a[/anrifoniiis (Kent), Wyville Thomson. 



Literaturp:. 



(i.) 1858. Tethea muricata, Bwk. MS. Phil. Trans, pi. xxv. f. 18. 

 (ii.) 18G2. Tethea muricata, Ewk. MS. Phil. Trans, pp. 782, 79-3, 820, 



pi. xxxi. fig's. 14, 15. 

 (iii.) 18(37. Thenea muricata, Bwk., Gray, Proc. Zool. See. p. o41, 

 (iv.) 1800. Tisiphonia, u. <?., W. Thomson, MS. Phil. Trans. 159, 



p. 712. 

 (V.) 1870. Wifville-Thomsotiia JVa/lirhii, Perceval Wright, Q. J. 



Micro. Sci. vol. x. p. 7, pi. ii. (Jannarv). 

 (vi.) 1870. Stelletta ac/ariciformis, O. Sclimidt, Atl. Sp. F. p. 



pi. vi. f. 12 (May), 

 (vii.) 1870. DorviUiaacjariciformis, Kent, Month. Micros. Jonrn. p. 29.3, 



pi. Ixvi. (December), 

 (viii.) 1871. DorviUia ayariciforviis, Kent, Ann. & JNIag. Nat. Hist, 

 vol. vii. p. o7. 

 (ix.) ? Thenea WaUichii, P. Wright, Zool. Rec. 1870. 

 (x.) 1872. Tethya muricata, Bwk. Proc. Zool. Soc. p. 11.5, pi. v. 



figs. 1-6. 

 (xi.) 1872. Tethya (u/aricifarmi!^, Kent, Ann. & Mag. Nat. Hist. vol. x. 



p. 209. 

 (xii.) 1873. Tisiphonia agariciformis, Kent, W. Thomson, The Depths 



of the Sea, pp. 74, 107, fig. 7. 

 (xiii.) 1878. Tethea muricata, Bwk., Carter, Ann. A: JNIag. Nat. Ilist. 



vol. ii. p. 174. 

 (xiv.) 1880. Tisiphonia, W. Thomson, Carter, Ann. & Mag. Nat. Hist, 

 (xv.) 1880. Tisiphonia ar/ariciformis, O. Schmidt, Spong. d. M. v. 

 Mexico. 



The nomenclature of this interesting sponge is marked bj 

 misfortune more than falls to the common lot. Since it was first 

 described twelve years ago, it has received no less than six 

 different generic and three specific names, has been identified 

 with species generically different from it, and placed in families 

 of strange kin, only to be expelled as an intruder. Its history 

 is bound up with that of another but closely allied species, 

 Tethea muricata, with which, as it obtained earlier notice than 

 Thenea Wallichu, we shall commence our account. Bower- 

 bank (i.) mentions T. muricata as a MS. name in 1858, when 

 describing and figuring its characteristic spinispirules or 

 " elongated stellates," as he termed these flcsh-spicules ; in 

 1862 (ii.) he again refers to it, this time adding a figure of its 

 dermal membrane, crowded with spinispirules and reduced to 

 a net-like appearance by the abundant presence of pore-open- 

 ings ; he likewise mentions the presence of bifurcate-ternate 

 spicules with remarkably long and acute rays, which help to 

 form the .skeleton-fasciculi, and lie with their heads expanded 

 beneath the skin. The amount of information which Bower- 

 bank thus incidentally accords us of this MS. species is con- 



