

PORIFERA OF THE L.M.B.C. DISTRIOT. 163 
to the Report on the Monaxonida, that the only stellate 
forms of microsclera ‘‘ which are certainly known to 
occur in the Monaxonida” are ‘‘spirule, discastra and 
amphiastra.’’ According to this, Raspailia stelligera, 8., 
as having spherastrous microscleres would not even belong 
to the Monaxonida. But there can be no doubt that 
Raspailia stelligera is a true monaxonid sponge, and I 
think even the presence of microsclera not important 
enough to remove it from the genus in which it had been 
placed by Schmidt. Therefore I would amend two points 
in Ridley and Dendy’s Report. Firstly, spherasters should 
be mentioned as being a fourth form of stellate microsclera 
in the Monaxonida; and secondly, the limits of the genus 
Raspatlia should be enlarged by leaving out the negative 
character ‘‘no microsclera,” so as to reconstitute the older 
and wider genus defined by Nardo and Schmidt. 
Raspailia viminalis, Schmidt (Pl. V., figs. 2—4). 
Dictyocylindrus ventilabrum, Bowerbank. 
Both the figures and the description of Dictyocylindrus 
ventilabrum, B., as given by Bowerbank, agree so fully 
with all the characters of Raspailia viminalis, §., as given 
by Schmidt, that I do not hesitate to consider those species 
as identical. 
One specimen of this species was dredged on the 
“Hyena’’ Hxpedition, 1886, in Church Bay, near Holy- 
head. Bowerbank records it from the British Channel and 
Brighton, and O. Schmidt from the Adriatic Sea. The 
colour of the living sponge is orange yellow. 
Our specimen was apparently quite a young one, as it 
measured only 3°5 cm. in height. The stem is cylindrical, 
has a well pronounced expanded base, and bears distally 
two branches. The beginning of a third branch is just 
visible (see Pl. V., fig. 2). Bowerbank had much larger 
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