24 Dr. E,. V. Lendenfeid on Australian Sponges. 



tions are so short that it is simply impossible to make any 

 use of them. 



I consider the genus Dysidea as characterized by the 

 following points : — 



1. Transparent hyolin. Mesoderm without foreign 



bodies in the ground-substance. 



2. The canal-system and ciliated chambers of Sjpongelia 



as described by Schulze *. 



3. Foreign bodies forming all the fibres. 



It cannot of course be decided by the description whether 

 Carter's specimens belong to the genus Dysidea in this sense 

 or not. 



The sponge described by Carter as Spongelia stellidermata'f 

 is probably identical with some specimens in my collection, 

 which, however, do not belong to the genus Spongelia, but 

 to another family t, that of the Spongidas. 1 have named 

 this sponge Cacospongia gracilis § ; but it may appear neces- 

 sary to establish a new genus for it. At all events it does 

 not belong to the genus Spongelia^ Schulze, who was the first 

 to establish a diagnosis on a really reliable and scientific 

 basis 11. 



Carterios-pongia caliciformis^ is described from a dry speci- 

 men, so that no opinion can be hazarded on its real position 

 in the system. 



As the configuration of the canal-system is not described 

 and the microscopic structure of the soft parts generally hardly 

 referred to, and as these are considered all important by me, 

 it is only natural that I should not be able to utilize Carter's 

 essay. Just as it was necessary that 0. Schmidt should com- 



* F. E. Schulze, " Untersucliungen iiber den Bau und die Entwick- 

 lung der Spongien : Die Gattung Spongelia" Zeitschrift fur wissen- 

 gchaftliche Zoologie, Baud xxxii. Seite 117 tf. 



t H. J. Carter, " Description of Sponges from the Neighbourhood of 

 Port Phillip Heads, South Australia/' Ann. & Mag. Nat. Hist. ser. 6, 

 vol. XV. p. 219. 



X J, Vosmaer, '' Studies on Spouges, — I." Mittheiluugen der zoologi- 

 schen Station in Neapel, Baud iv. Seite 445. Vosmaer's classification is 

 identical vi^ith mine, which I arrived at independently, and which is 

 therefore very likely to be correct. 



§ In 1883 I identified the sponges from several museums, and I sup- 

 plied several with names, the diagnoses of which remained in schedule. 

 The sponges referred to can be seen in the museum of the South Aus- 

 tralian Institute at Adelaide. 



II r. E. Schulze, I. c. 



^ H. J. Carter, I c. p. 221. 



