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376 COLLECTIONS FROM MELANESIA.
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Suborder T etractinellida.
1
Family CHORISTIDÆ.
101. Stelletta niirmirea. n. sn. ........ * it *
------------ , var. retrollesa .............. ....... *
1 0 2 .----- clavosa, ii. sp........................ '....... * it
l O . ' i . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . s n i t
104. Stellettinopsis carteri, n . sp...............
10.Ï. Tetbyopsis dissimilis, n. sp................
10(). Geodia .o-bobo.stellitéra. C n r f p . r
it
i t *
*
107. PlacosDOiiffia carinata. l i o m e r h a n k . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . *
Family LITHISTID^IE (not repre.sented).
Suborder II e x a c t i n b l l i d a
(not represented ) .
Order C A L C A R E A .
Family ASCONIDAl (not represented).
Family LEIJOONID/E.
108. Leucetta primigenia, H a c k e l . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . V 4 *
, var. microrrbaphis, H a c k e l
109. Leucaltis bathybia, H a c k e l .
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - , var. australiensis, nov. ...
110. Leucoma saccbarata, H a c k e l . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
* it \
*
*
Family SYC0NID7E (not represented).
Family TICHONIILE (not represented).
Tt is at once apparent from this Table that by far the largest
number of species (64 in all) have been obtained from Torres Straits ;
th at is, no doubt, partly due to the large number of dredgings taken
and the number of minor localities investigated here. The Ecnieridm
are the only family of Silicea or Ceratosa which are not strongly
represented. The forms most abundant here are lotrochota purpurea,
SPONGIIDA. 3 7 7
OeUiodes fihulata, Rhizochalina singaporensis, var., and Clathria.
reinwardti, var. subcylindrica. Ectyonidæ and Tetractinellida are
relatively the most rich in species in this snbcquatorial region, 12
out of the 17 species collected of the first and 7 out of the 8 of the
latte r group being obtained here. I t is remarkable th at the only
Siliceous species hitherto recorded with certainty from the locality,
so far as 1 am aware (Xenosqiongia patelliformis, Gray, P. Z. S. 1858]
p. 229, pi. 12), has not appeared ou this occasion ; it was, however]
perhaps obtained from deep water, as its apparent affinity to Hali-
cnemia, Bowerbank, of the British seas would suggest, and no specimens
were obtained ou this occasion from deep water (if such exists)
in Torres Straits.
Of the other localities, Port Darwin on the north-west and the
eastern Queensland coast on the east have been the most productive.
As might have been expected from the wide extent of moderately
deep sea which separates Port Darwin from Torres Straits, there are
very considerable differences between their Sponge-faunas, although
a larger number of dredgings made at the former would probably
have reduced these differences. Wc find, however, the lotrochota
{-purpurea) sp common at Torres Straits replaced by another species,
I. haculifera ; OeUiodes fihidata and Rhizochalina singaporensis
do not even appear ; the Ectyonidæ, so far from being common, have
hut a single species here ; and the Penieridæ, so poorly represented
at Torres Straits, have here 10 species. Only a few species are here
shown to_ extend across the Gulf of Carpentaria {Toxochalina fo lioides,
Rhizochalina canalis, Stelletta purpurea).
The Arafura Sea represents a somewhat deeper area, but, as mio-ht
have been expected, shows affinities with Torres Straits on the one
hand and Port_ Darwin on the other; 3 species oî Rhizochalina and
2 Stellettai are its chief representatives in the collection.
The Queensland coast does not appear to ho so rich in Sponges as
in Alcyonaria; in particular, the absence of Tetractinellida and
almost total absence of Suberitidæ characterizes the collections
obtained from this region. The occurrence either here or in Torres
Straits of the whole of the 12 species assigned to species described
by Lamarck is evidence in favour of the view th at it was here th at a
considerable proportion of the Sponges described by him as collected
by MM. Peron and Lesueur in the ‘ Mers Australes ’ were obtained.
Port Jackson shows peculiarities connected with its southern latitude,
producing two British Suberitidæ besides South-Australian
species oi Leucoma and Hircinia-, still, it has some species in
common with Torres Straits. Six species range from the south to
the north of Australia.
Classification.^ I have followed no one author in this matter.
The subject is in a state of transition, and 1 have adopted those
divisions which seemed most in accordance with the present state
of our knowledge. Remarks on the characters of the different groups
will be found under their names ; in some cases (especially Chali-
nidoe, Besmacidinidæ) important modifications in scope or characters
seem required by the results of the present collection.
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