320 
THE TANGANYIKA PROBLEM. 
AFFINITIES. 
This subject must be considered from two aspects. In 
the first place, the character of the gemmulae must be taken 
into consideration, since the grouping of the Spongillidae 
into the three sub-families, Spongillinae, Meyeninae and Lubo- 
mirskinae, and the division of the sub-families into genera, 
usually adopted, depends on these characters. In the 
second place, the spicules are of great importance, as pre- 
senting a close resemblance to the spicules of Lubomirskia 
intermedia var. a (Dybowski, cf. pi. iv., fig. 3, b), which 
belongs to the sub-family Lubomirskinae. 
(A) The Gemmule. — The gemmule of Spongilla tan- 
ganyikce lacks the ainphidiscs which surround the gemmule 
of the Meyeninae. It therefore appears that the species 
cannot belong to that sub-family. But it equally lacks the 
small spicules which are usually found in close relation with 
the gemmule of the Spongillinae. Potts, however, places 
Spongilla aspinosa among the Spongillinae, in spite of the 
fact that its gemmules lack characteristic spicules. If this 
arrangement be followed, the absence of such spicules from 
Spongilla moorei and Spongilla tanganyikce should not be 
considered as a barrier against including these species among 
the Spongillinae. But the inclusion does away with the im- 
portance of the presence of special gemmule spicules as a 
sub-family character. 
The thin coat of the gemmule resembles that found in 
Spongilla moorei , Spongilla aspinosa and others of the 
spongillinae, and has no similarity to the thick coat of the 
gemmule of the Meyeninae. The characters of the gemmule, 
therefore, as far as they go, point to this new African species 
as being one of the Spongillinae. 
