160 LIVERPOOL BIOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 
Reniera varians, B. 
Collected at Hilbre Island, 20th Mecene 1886. 
Remera fistulosa, B. 
Collected on ‘‘ Hyena” Expedition, 1888, off the south 
end of the Isle of Man, 20 fathoms. 
Reniera semitubulosa, O. Schmidt. 
Pellina semitubulosa, O. Schmidt. 
Halichondria semtubulosa, Lieberkuhn. 
This Sponge was first described by Oscar Schmidt, in 
his ‘‘Spongien des Adriatischen Meeres.” It had been 
found commonly near Venice, and formed an irregular 
base with numerous ascending branches, which were here 
and there fused together. The colour was greenish or 
whitish. ‘One of the chief characteristics was that the 
dermal membrane could easily be separated from the 
underlying tissue. The oscula were found mostly on the 
extremities of the branches, but also on the other parts of 
the surface. The spicules were oxea. A few years after- 
wards O. Schmidt formed the new genus Pellina,* and 
gave the species which he formerly called Reniera semi- 
tubulosa as the type for it. In the same work he describes 
two other species of this genus: Pellina bibula, found in 
the Kattegat, and Pellina profunditatis, found near Florida. 
Ridley and Dendy+ do not agree with O. Schmidt’s 
proposal to form a new genus for this sponge, not regarding 
the character of the separable dermal membrane as being 
of generic importance. They further remark, “The so- 
called dermal membrane is also a very distinct feature of 
Halichondria panicea, yet Schmidt keeps this species out 
of his genus Pellina, into which it ought certainly to fall 
* Oscar Schmidt, “‘Spongienfauna d. Atl. Gebietes.” 
+ Ridley and Dendy, ‘‘ Report on the Monaxonida collected ae H.M.S. 
Challenger,” p. 15. 
Brie. 
