Stephens — The Frcsh-wntcr Sponges of Ireland. 21 1 



to fresh- water sponges: " S. friabilis Esper. Found very common on the 

 shores of the County Moiiaghan lakes, during the summer months," and 

 " S. pnkinaia, Lam., ilplii/dalin Cfnialium , ¥\eiumg. Found atlhering to the 

 walls of the locks of tlie Lagan Canal." S. friabilis and S. pulvinata are usually 

 assigned to Bj/hi/dalia flunatilis, while E. canalium appears to be Sponf/illa 

 lacustris, and probably both these species were seen by Templeton ; but it 

 is useless to intjuire too closely into the limits of the species as understood 

 by the older writers, and Templeton 's specimens have apparently not been 

 preserved. 



WiiliaTu Thompson, in a list of invertebrates found in Ireland, gives 

 Sponc/illa fluviatilis as occurring in the north and west of the country. A 

 few years later Allmau emphasized his belief that fresh-water sponges 

 "ought to be viewed as Diatomaceoiis organisms," and that "tbe siliceous 

 spicules of the Spongillae were in every respect the representatives of the 

 siliceous frustules of the Diatomaceae." The following localities are given 

 for SiKngilla lacustris: the Lower Lake of Killarney and some of the lakes of 

 Co. Wicklow. 



Thompson, in his "Natural History of Ireland," quotes the earlier 

 references to Irish fresh-water sponges, and gives some additional localities 

 for Ephydatia fluviatilis. Under this species he mentions some specimens 

 from a pond at Whitehouse, Co. Antrim, which seemed to be identical with 

 the Ephijdatia canalium figured by Fleming. This figure, as already stated, 

 is taken from a specimen of Sponyilla lacustris. 



E. P. Wright in 1868 gives additional localities for Spongilla lacustris. Of 

 Ephi/datia fluviatilis he writes : — " To be found apparently in every suitable 

 locality in Ireland. In Dublin very common in the canals, and of too 

 frequent occurrence in the fresh-water pipes of the city." 



In the Girides to the Belfast and Dublin districts, prepared in 1874 

 and 1878 respectively for the visits of the British Association, there are brief 

 allusions to the fresh-water sponges. In the former, .^p/()/(?«i!m_^Hrirt<i//s is 

 recorded for the Lagan Caual (where it still flourishes) ; in the Guide to the 

 Dublin district it is stated tha^t Sponf/illa lacmtris and Ephydatia fluviatilis 

 abound, the former in Lough Bray, the latter in the Eoyal Canal anil 

 " elsewhere." It may be stated here that Hctcromcycnia liydcri Potts is 

 the only species found on successive visits to both Upper and Lower Lough 

 Bray in recent years. 



Several Irish localities for fresh-water sponges are given in the fourth 

 volume of Bowerbank's " Monograph of British Sponges." Dr. Batlersby sent 

 the author specimens from the " Lake of Killarney " and Caragh Lake. Some 

 of these were named Spongilla lacustris, others Spongilla Parjitti (= Ephydatia 



