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;
th a t in other speciea as well the distinct cloacal systems may prove
to be formed in the same manner. In his latest work (Spong.
Aleerhus. Alexico) Schmidt says (p. 16):—“ Individuell beginnend
übernehmen in vielen Spongien die anfänglich neutralen oder gemeinschaftlichen
Gebiete die Rolle der Individuen, aber der sich nährende
und fortqjißanzende K'örqier ist weder Individuum noch ein Stoch,
auch der blosse Vergleich mit Individuum und Stock passt nicht auf
ihn.” (The italics are Prof. Schmidt’s.) This view would seem to
hold well, at any rate iu the cases I have referred to.
Parasitism.—An instance of an Oscillatorian Alga parasitic within
the tissues of a Sponge is described under Stelletta clavosa ; a similar
circumstance has been recorded in Halisarca and Spongelia (Schulze)
and in a Suhorite (Carter). Two examples are to be noted of the
converse case, viz. th a t of a Sponge constantly employing an Alga for
support by mingling with its structures, as already noticed by Semper
in Spongia cartilaginea, Esper. These cases are—(1) Gellius cynii-
formis (v. infra), where the Sponge, though probably less in bulk
than the Alga, seems to draw the latter into its own form; and
(2) a Renierid (probably Reniera s. str.) from Port MoUe, Queensland,
which coats and penetrates between the superficial fibres of
two specimens of a species of erect arborescent Alga, giving it the
appearance of the British Sponge Ilalichondria albescens.
A few examples of Spongiophaga (Carter) were noticed in the
basal part of a spirit-specimen of a Rliaphidophlus {R. procera) from
Port Darwin: the heads measured -005 to -01 millim., the fibre
about -001 millim. in diameter. This parasite has already been
recorded from the Siliceous genera Axinella, Gellius, Esperia, Vioa
(Carter, Ann. & Mag. N. H. (5) ii. p. 167). I t also occurs in the Ceratosa
of the collection ; the skeleton of a Hircinia from Torres Straits
is almost replaced by it.
G e o g r a p h ic a l D is t r ib u t io n .
1. Relations of Australia to other Districts.
In attempting to compare the Australian Sponge-fauna with the
faunas of other districts, we are met by a great difficulty, caused by the
very imperfect manner in which the Ceratose and Siliceous Sponges
of any given marine region, except the Northern and Equatorial
Atlantic and Mediterranean, are as yet known. A paper by Prof.
Selenka (Zeitsch. wiss. Zool. xxxii. p. 467) and one by myself
(Proc. Zool. Soc. 1881, p. 107) give accounts of about 30 species from
the South Atlantic; Esper, Carter, and Vosmaer describe species from
the Cape. The Sponges of the Pacific are almost wholly unknown *.
Thanks almost exclusively to Mr. Carter’s and Dr. Bowcrbank’a exertions,
we have a better knowledge of the Indian-Ocean fauna; hut
even this is extremely imperfect. Our more exact knowledge of this
area (excluding Australia, for which see above, p. 366) is based
chiefly on :—
* But see Carter’s (Ann. & Alag. Nat. Hist.) and Bowerbank’s (Proo. Zool.
Soc.) writings for sundry species from the “ South Seas;” and Doderlein (Zeitsch.
wiss. Zool. xl. p. ()2) for four new Lithistid» from Japan.
a. Papers, describing about 70 species from Ceylon, by Carter
( ‘ Annals and Magazine of Natural History,’ ser. 5, vol. vi. pp. 35
129, yiii. p. 361, XL p. 353); one by Ehlers (Die Esperschen
fepongien &c.), redescribiug 4 species from Ceylon and South India-
and one by Bowerhank, describing a few from Ceylon (Proceedings
of the Zoological Society of London, 1873, p. 25).
5. A paper, describing 4 or 5 species from Mauritius, by Carter
(Ann. & Mag._ Nat. Hist. ser. 5, vol. iii. pp. 284, 313).
• ^ species from the Red Sea, by Carter (tom
cit. p. 298) and Bowerhank (Proc. Zool. Soc. 1872, p. 630).
d Papers by Bowerhank, describing 17 species from the Straits
of Malacca (Proc. Zool. Soc. 1869, p. 325 ; 1875, p. 281).
e. A paper by the same author, describing 3 species from the
north of New Guinea (^op. cit. 1877, p. 456).
/ . A paper by Carter (Philosopb. Transactions Royal Society,
vol. 168. p. 286), describing 8 species from Kerguelen Island.
The Calcarea of this region have received considerable attention
Hackel in his famous monograph ; and a pupil of his
(Schuffner) has described (Jenaische Zeitsch. 1878) some species
collected a t Mauritius. The ‘ Challenger ’ coUection(Z.c. p. 366) produced
6 species from the Indian Ocean.
I propose here only to notice some of the most salient facts of the
distribution, the known distribution of the species being given below
under each.
Of the 110 species described below, only 27 species (25 per cent.)
are known with certainty to occur outside the Australian seas.
Of these ;—
a. One, Leucetta qorirnigenia, is almost cosmopolitan.
h. Eour, viz. Reniera indistincta, Gellius couchi, Suberites carnosus,
Ilymeniacidon caruncida, occur in the Rritish seas.
c. Eive, viz. Euspongia officinalis, Cacospongia mollior, Reniera
aqiiceductiis^ Tedama digitata^ Gellius Jihulatus, occur in the Mediter-
ran ean, the last also on the Portuguese coast.
d. Three, viz. Cladochalina armigera, Acervoclialina Jinitima, Te-
dania digitata, in the West Indies,
e. One, viz. Cladochalina pergamentacea, near the Brazilian coast.
/ . One, viz. Siphonochalina tubulosa, is knoAvn from the Cape of
Good Hope.
g. Three, viz. Tubulodigitus communis, Spirastrella vagahunda,
Geodia globostellifera, from Ceylon ; the first also from Kurrachee.
h. Fourteen (comprising 4 Ceratosa, 1 or 2 each of Calcarea,
Tetractinellida, and of each family of the Monactinellida except the
Suberitidæ) from the tropical parts of the Western Indian Ocean
(see Part I I . of this Report).
I. Six, viz. Toxochalina folioides, Gellius couchi, G. varius, Rhi-
zochahna singaporensis, lotrochotapurpurea,Clatliria frondifera from
the Straits of Malacca.
J. One, viz. Toxochaliim folioides, îrom Row (Imxiea.
I t should be noticed th at the most widely ranging forms belong
in most cases to very generalized types, such as might be expected to
possess considerable antiquity, and hence a wide distribution. Another
2 b 2
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