ALCYONARIA FROM SINGAPORE. 519 



Nephihya — to designate the merged genei-a. The genus Dendro- 

 nephthya is ahiiost synonymous with Spongodes (Glomeratte, 

 Umbellatse, and Divaricatse), as defined by Kiikenthal in 1896, 

 and Stereonephthya has a like relation with his Sp)ongodes 

 (Spongodia). 



There is no doubt that here, again, Kiikenthal was acting in 

 accordance with the International Rules of Nomenclature. Had 

 these Rules been extant at the time Kiikenthal published his 

 classification of the Nephthyidfe in 1896, the name Spongodes 

 would doubtless have been discarded by him then, for in the 

 second section of Art. 30 it is written: "In no case, however, 

 can the name of the original genus be transferred to a group 

 containing none of the species originally included in the genus." 

 Thus Spongodes, as used by Kiikenthal in 1896, would not be 

 considered as a valid generic name by those who accept the 

 International Rules of Zoological Nomenclature, which appeared 

 in 1905. One cannot but feel the loss of a name which for 

 nearly a century has been familiar to students of the Alcyonaria, 

 and regret the inconvenience caused in Museums and Zoological 

 Laboratories throughout the Avorld by its suppression. Nomen- 

 clature is a matter of convenience and cannot be regulated 

 absolutely by arbitrary laws. Generally speaking, of two 

 synonyms, that which is most familiar to the majority is to be 

 preferred ; a more practical reason should be required than a 

 mere regulation before supplanting an old familiar generic name 

 by a new one. If we are required to obey literally the Inter- 

 national Rules of Zoological Nomenclature, such everyday names 

 as Astacus, Holothuria, Actinia, Modrepora, and many others 

 will be forfeited, as has been Sp)ongodes. While regretting that 

 Kiikenthal did not exercise his authority in retaining the name 

 Spongodes, in deference to his extensive knowledge of the Neph- 

 thyidse and his able reorganisation of that family, I have adopted 

 the term Dendronephthya for a genus of Nephthyidee defined as 

 follows by Kukenthal (1905) :— 



" Nephthyiden von baumformig verzvveigtem Aufbau, deren 

 Polypen stets in Biindeln vereinigt sind, Polypen mit ' Stiitz- 

 biindeln.' " 



Dendronephthta disciformis Kiikenthal 1905. (PI. LXIII 

 fig. 13.) 



Three specimens in the collection agree so nearly in all 

 essential features with the description given by Kiikenthal 

 (1905) for B. disciformis that there is little doubt that they 

 may be assigned to that species. Kiikenthal's specimen came 

 from the China Sea. 



The largest of the three colonies is 8 cm. high, 7 cm. broad, and 

 3"5 cm. thick. It was taken ofi" Pulo Brani in 5 fms. of water. 



Two other specimens were taken in 7 fms. of water between 

 Pulo Hautu and Blakang Mati. Their measurements, height by 

 breadth by thickness, are 4x4x2-5 cm., and 3-5 x 2-5 x 1-5 cm. 

 respectively. 



