﻿l6cS •E^DEAVOUi!" SCIEXTIFIC RESULTS. 



C'kfi.i.x iNCKi st.ws, C'uHl'i\ vcir. I'lMii.A, lA-mJoifcUI. 



1SS8. Clctllni.ssa pu\)iiUi, Lendenteld, Cat. Sponges Austr. 

 Mus., i8<S8, p. jiS. 



Spo}igc e}icnisti)t<^\ thin; surface iinc-,<c)i or irrco^iilariy 

 C())iuhttcil. Oscida small, scattered. Main skelel<>)i e<>)i- 

 sistino- iij asce)Hihi<:; cohtuins' of dcanthostvles a)ul 

 clesceiiili)io- coIuddis of oxea. AciDitliostyles of the deruud 

 skeleto)! scattered \^<ithoiit order. M eL!^ascleres , niaxi- 

 ))iii))i sizes: — (/. ) Oxea, lyo x =i.^ \i ; (ii.) pri)icipal aca)i- 

 thoslyles, 7^5 x 10 /( ; {Hi.) deriind aca)dlu>styles , So x 

 5.5 //. Isoclielcc arcitaUv, of a .v/Hi^'/c kind, 12 to i() ]i 

 lo,io-. 



Introductury Remarks.- — Lendenfeld described the outward 

 appearance of the typical variety of his Clathrissa piimila in. 

 the following terms: — "Small, incrusting, conulated sponges, 

 oi a light rose colour in the fresh state and grey when pre- 

 served in spirit. The conuli are on an average 2 mm. high and 

 4 mm. apart. Small oscula ..8 mm. wide are scattered 

 irregularl} over the surface." His complete description 

 of the variety rubra is exceedingly brief: — "Massive or 

 incrusting sponges with small conuli i mm. high wrhich 

 are \ery close together. The largest specimens attain 

 a height of jo mm. The colour of the living sponge is 

 bright scarlet. The skeleton is similar to that of the 

 species." It \\\\\ be obserxed tliat, so far as the des- 

 cription informs us, the variety is distinguished only by the 

 slightly lesser height of its conuli, and by the deeper shade of 

 its colour — neither of x\hich differences possesses in itself an} 

 importance. An examination of the type-specimens, howe\er, 

 renders it exceedinglv probable that Lendenfeld \s descriptions 

 have reference to two quite distinct xarieties. The type speci- 

 mens of E. pumila and its variety are separately represented 

 each by a bunch of stout seaweed roots that are almost com- 

 pletely over-grown with encrusting sponges of quite a number 

 of different kinds. It was necessary to examine several of these 

 before it could be said with certainty which were the actual 

 examples of the species, and as a result it has been found that 

 there are among them two varieties which accord very well 

 with the descriptions so far as external features are concerned ; 

 that is to say, one of them appears to be invariably of encrust- 

 ing habit, whilst the other may assume a massi\e form, becom- 

 ing cake-shaped. In regard to their inner structure, howexer, 

 they do not comply with the descriptions inasmuch as their 

 skeletons are not similar, and there is a notable difference in 

 the size of their megascleres ; furthermore the \ arietv which 



