BENDY NON-CALCAREOUS SPONGES 129 



Ceylon species. The branching is extremely irregular, and the branches vary in form 

 from short, broad and flattened to slender, long and cylindrical. The long, slender- 

 branched specimens evidently belong to my var. ramosa, but I do not think that this 

 can be at all sharply distinguished from the type. 



One of the specimens contains a number of grapnel spicules, which seem to be 

 foreign, as they were seen only in one small part. 



Previously known Distribution. Gulf of Mannar, Ceylon Seas (Dendy) ; Aru Islands, 

 Arafura Sea (Hentscliel). 



Register Numbers, Locality, &c. XX. 5, 10, Adatra. 



42. Echinodictyum gorgonioides n. sp. (Plate I., Figs. ia-iV ; Plate IV., 



Fig. 23.) 



So far as external appearance goes this is perhaps the prettiest sponge in the 

 collection, with an extremely characteristic mode of growth. There are three separate 

 pieces of it, but they all come from the same locality and may possibly be parts of one 

 and the same specimen. The sponge (Fig. 23) consists of a number of slender stems 

 springing close together from a somewhat spreading, encrusting base. The stems rise 

 almost vertically from the points of attachment and bifurcate repeatedly and very 

 frequently. All the branches and no distinction can be drawn between stems and 

 branches are of about the same diameter, say 3 mm. They mostly lie in approximately 

 the same plane and occasionally anastomose with one another. The surfaces of the 

 branches are subrugose and minutely conulose. The branches terminate in rounded 

 extremities and there are no conspicuous vents.. The whole growth reminds one 

 forcibly of some species of Gorgonia. 



The total height of the largest piece is about 110 mm., and the greatest width 

 nearly as much. 



The colour in spirit (after formalin) is very pale brown. The texture is fairly tough, 

 very compressible and resilient. 



The skeleton is composed of stout primary fibres, which branch repeatedly as they 

 approach the surface and are more or less interconnected by secondary fibres. The 

 main fibres consist chiefly of plumose columns of spined styli, some of which are com- 

 pletely embedded in the pale-coloured spongin, while others echinate the surface of the 

 fibre at various angles. The secondary fibres consist mainly or entirely of spongin, 

 echinated more or less by the spined styli. 



Fairly numerous oxea (tornotoxea) accompany the fibres or are scattered between 

 them, but they rarely, if ever, form a spicular core to the fibre. They are not nearly 

 so numerous as the spined styli, which form the chief part of the spiculation. 



Spicules. (1) Oxea (tornotoxea) (Fig. la) ; straight, slender, thicker at one end 

 than at the other, abruptly pointed at the thicker end, gradually sharp-pointed at the 

 other ; occasionally with a bulbous inflation at from | to \ the length from the thicker 



