New System o/'Chalininse. 335 



back as 1879 *. I have examined Dr. von Lendenfeld's 

 specimens of ^^ Spirophora,^^ and cannot conceive what possible 

 claims they have to be included amongst the Chalininse. The 

 genns Trachycladus^ as it must of course be called, is certainly 

 a difficult one to locate ; but it seems to me that it would be 

 difficult to place it in a much less appropriate position. 



The creation of the new genus Phylosiphonia would seem 

 to be equally unfortunate. It is a comprehensive genus, and 

 includes species both with and without microsclera. Accord- 

 ingly it is divided into two subgenera : — (1) Toxochalina f, 

 with microsclera, and (2) Anatoxins^ without microsclera. 

 The author seems a little doubtful as to the generic nomen- 

 clature of the species described by him under the subgenus 

 Toxochalina^ so that we have the following curious result : — - 



" 1. Toxochalina foliodes Lendenfeld. 



" Toxochalina foliodes Ridley. 



" 2. Phylosiphonia robusta Lendenfeld. 

 " Toxochalina rohusta Ridley." 



All the remaining species, both of Toxochalina and Ana- 

 toxins^ are described under the generic name Phylosiphonia. 



But it is very difficult to understand why the new genus 

 Phylosiphonia should have been introduced at all. The type 

 species of Schmidt's genus Siphonochalina {8. coriacea) is 

 actually included in the list of species of Phylosiphonia^ where 

 it figures under the name ^^Phylosiphonia coriacea Lenden- 

 feld." Obviously then Siphonochalina is the correct generic 

 name for all those species of ^^Phylosiphonia " which have no 

 microsclera (subgenus Anatoxins, Lendenfeld), while the 

 correct generic name for those with microsclera (toxa) is 

 Toxochalina^ Ridley. To make Toxochalina^ Ridley, generi- 

 cally identical with Siphonochalina ^ Schmidt, appears to be an 

 altogether unwarrantable proceeding. 



If possible the confusion here introduced is still worse con- 

 founded by the fact that Dr. von Lendenfeld actually uses 

 Schmidt's name Siphonochalina for some of those species of 

 tubular Chalininge " mit conuloser Oberflache," and calls the 

 genus ^'Siphonochalina O. Schmidt 1888 emend.," quite 

 regardless of the fact that VosmaerJ had already created a 

 genus, Spinosella^ which includes the conulose or spinose 



* Ann. & Mag. Nat. Hist. May 1879, p. 343. 



t Ridley's genus. 



X Brouu's Klass. u. Ordnung. des Thierreiclis, Porifera, p. 342. 



