140 OKHAMANDAL MARINE ZOOLOGY REPORT PART II 



56. Spongelia cinerea (Keller). 



Dysidea cinerea Keller [1889]. 



Spongelia elastica var. crassa Dendy [1905]. 



There are three specimens of this sponge in the collection, one large one (R.N. IV. 1) 

 very similar to that figured in my Report on Professor Herdman's Ceylon Sponges, 

 and two small ones more nearly resembling the figure given by Keller. I think there 

 can be little doubt that my var. crassa is identical with Keller's Dysidea cinerea from the 

 Red Sea, which is possibly, merely a variety of Spongelia elastica, which, in turn, 

 according to Schulze [1879]. is merely a subspecies of Spongelia pallescens. It is very 

 doubtful how far it is desirable to separate these different forms. 



Previously known Distribution. Red Sea (Keller) ; Gulf of Mannar (Dendy). 



Register Numbers, Localities, &c. IV. 1, 15, 23, dredged off S.W. coast of Beyt 

 Island. 



57. Spongelia elegans Nardo var. 



(For Synonymy, vide Schulze [1879] and Lendenfeld [1889].) 



A number of branched and anastomosing, digitiform pieces, all from the same 

 locality and probably all parts of one specimen, closely resemble Schulze's figure of 

 Spongelia elegans. The specimen seems, however, to have been less robust than that 

 figured by Schulze and the conuli less strongly developed. The colour in spirit (after 

 formalin) is light brown ; texture very soft and compressible. The skeleton is a loose, 

 irregular network of rather slender, strongly arenaceous fibre, in which the fibres are all 

 equally charged with sand, there being no secondary horny fibres more or less free 

 from sand and connecting the fibres which run into the conuli, as described by Schulze. 

 Stained preparations, however, show darkly staining fibrillar bands of nucleated cells 

 running lengthwise through the sponge. These commonly contain a few sand-grains. 

 Their relation to the ordinary skeletal fibres is doubtful, though they appear to be 

 connected with them in places. 



Schulze says nothing about the occurrence and distribution of spongin, and one 

 merely assumes that the sand-free secondary fibres in his material are composed of 

 that substance. In the Okhamandal specimen spongin is nowhere strongly developed, 

 and I have recognised it only in the sandy fibre. 



Previously known Distribution. Mediterranean (Nardo, Schmidt, Schulze, &c.) ; 

 East Coast of Australia (Lendenfeld). 



Register Number, Locality, &c. XXIII. 4, off Dwarka, 15-17 fms., 12.12.05. 



