papers on Australian sponges; he described 87 new species of sponge. Eventually Dendy became a leading authority on the sponge phylum, (Porifera), which he extensively restructured.

Dendy was the first zoologist to study the terrestrial invertebrates of Victoria, Australia. This work led to 16 scientific papers and 79 new species. These included terrestrial flatworms (planarians) and nemerteans, but the most famous of his animals was