ME. C. W. PEACH ON BEITISH POLYZOA. 479 



Sph^rophtma Simoni. Eotundata, valde convexa, flava, nitida, 

 oculis nigris, femoribus posticis piceis ; thorace sat crebre temiiter 

 punetato ; elytris teuuiter punctato-striatis, punctis in striis 

 confuse dispositis, interspatiis planis. Long. 1| lin. 



Hah. Queensland, Eockhampton. 



Eyes large, black, occupying a considerable portion of the 

 face ; antennae nearly contiguous at their insertion, being only 

 separated by the linear carina, which extends downwards across 

 the large triangular clypeus, and nearly reaches the anterior 

 border of the latter ; encarpse slightly raised, ill-defined. Thorax 

 nearly three times as broad as long ; sides very obliquely con- 

 verging from base to apex, anterior angles thickened, slightly 

 produced, very obtuse, hinder angles rounded ; basal margin 

 oblique and bisinuate on either side, the median lobe slightly 

 produced, broadly and obtusely rounded ; surface rather closely 

 but finely punctured. Elytra much broader than the thorax, the 

 shoulders broadly rounded ; upper surface very finely punctate- 

 striate, the punctures (in some specimens) piceous ; interspaces 

 plane, impressed with punctures equal in size to those on the 

 striae themselves ; outer margin broadly dilated, irregularly punc- 

 tured. 



This insect, like the species belonging to Motschulsky's genus 

 Argopistes, has quite the facies of a Coccinella. 



Observations on British Polyzoa. By Charles William 

 Peach, Esq., A.L.S. &c. 



[Eead June 7, 1877.] 

 (Plate XXIII.) 



ScRVPOCELLARiA scTwposa. — Although this is common and well 

 known, I am able to add a little to its history. On the 10th of 

 June, 1876, 1 got a nice specimen at Newhaven, on a sponge {JSa- 

 lichondriapaniceci) from the Eirth of Eorth. Erom a desire to know 

 how it moored itself to this soft body, I carefully examined it, 

 and cut open the sponge,' and found, as I thought, curious sponge- 

 spicules, differing from all 1 had previously seen. On tearing the 

 Scrupocellaria from the sponge, I at once saw what I took for spi- 

 cules were actually the " tubulous root-fibres ' ' of the Scrupocellaria ; 

 here, then, was a new fact to me. Hitherto I had always considered 

 these " tubulous root-fibres " as smooth, with a disk, for adhesion to 



