LITING IN THE TENUs's FLOWEE-BASKET. 507 



after justly repudiating the theories of the Spanish fishermen and 

 French naturalist regarding the origin of the sponge, describes 

 the Isopod from specimens in his collection under the name of 

 ^ga spongiophila, stating that it is always associated with a pretty 

 species oiPalcemonidce, which, on account of the damaged condition 

 of the specimens, he was unable to determine generically, but 

 which T have little doubt is the Spongicola veniista of De Haan. 

 This jEga spongiophila, although the description leaves some im- 

 portant particulars unnoticed, agrees, as far as it goes, with the 

 specimens from Zebu recently acquired by the Trustees. Mr. T. 

 J. Moore (Ann. & Mag. JSTat. Hist. iii. p. 196, 1869) gives, upon the 

 authority of Captain Robert" Morgan, Zebu as the true habitat of 

 Euplectella aspergillum, and appends a rough sketch by Capt. 

 Morgan of the sponge in situ and its inhabitant (by which latter 

 is presumably intended the Spongicola venusta) ; but the figure is 

 evidently a mere sketch from memory. Finally, the late Dr. E.. 

 v. Willemoes Suhm, in his fifth letter to Prof. C. v. Siebold ou 

 the results of the ' Challenger ' Expedition (Zeitsch. f. Aviss. Zool. 

 xxvi. Append, p. Ixxiv, 1876), mentions that, of the parasites of 

 the Euplectella, the JSga spongiophila occurs most commonly, 

 next to it the PalcBmon (probably the Spongicola venusta), whose 

 zoea he was able to hatch, also a white Aphrodita, and, lastly, 

 in less abundance, a small Pecten. 



Dr. Semper, in the paper above referred to, announced his in- 

 tention of shortly publishing more accurate descriptions of the 

 Crustacea observed by him, accompanied by figures, but does not 

 appear ever to have carried his purpose into effect. I have there- 

 fore thought it desirable to append to this notice full descriptions 

 and accurate illustrations of the specimens I have before me, by 

 which the question of their identity with the Spongicola venusta 

 and /Ega spongiophila may be determined with certainty. 



Spongicola venusta, De Haan, Crust, in Fauna Japonica, 

 p. 194, pi. xlvi. fig. 9 (1850), S ■ PL XXIV. figs. 1 & 2. 



Body nearly smooth. Eostrum trigonous, about reaching 

 to the apex of the peduncle of the antennules, with eight to 

 ten small teeth on its upper margin, and one on the lower 

 margin near the apex. One or tw^o of the teeth of the upper 

 margin are posterior to the anterior margin of the cephalo- 

 thorax. On the dorsal surface of the cephalothorax, a short 

 distance behind the origin of the rostrum, are two small spines. 



