﻿SPONGES. HALLMAiSTN. j-j 



The largest specimens attain a height of 20 mm. The colour 

 of the living sponge is bright scarlet." To this it may be 

 added that the surface is sometimes free from conuli, and that 

 the colour in alcohol is brownish-grey. The largest which I 

 have seen is 15 mm. in diameter and 5 mm. in height. Oscula 

 have not been observed. 



The diagnosis contains pretty well all which need be said 

 concerning the skeleton. The basal layer of spongin is densely 

 echinated with erect acanthostyles. Columns of oxea, free 

 trom echinating acanthostyles, such as are characteristic of 

 the preceding variety, have not been observed. Occasionally 

 the coring oxea at the extreme upper extremity of the fibres 

 spread out penicillately and form a sub-dermal tuft, but as a 

 rule the character of the fibre remains unaltered quite to its 

 point of arrival at the dermal membrane. The interstitial 

 megascleres, which are almost exclusively acanthostyles, are 

 fairly abundant. Oxea external to the fibres are extremely 

 rare except (occasionally) immediately beneath the dermal 

 membrane. The dermal skeleton is similar to that of the 

 variety puniila. 



Megascleres. — 



(i.) The oxea vary in length from about 160 to 200 ;< ; the 



stoutest are 5 }i in diameter, 

 (ii.) The principal acanthostyles attain a maximum size of 



I bo X <S n . 



(iii.) The dermal acanthostyles \ ary in length from about 

 60 to 80 p and do not exceed 6 >< in diameter. 



Microscleres. — 



The chelai, which resemble th(jse of the variety levis, are 

 12 to 16 II long. 



Loc. — Port Jackson (Austr. Mus. Coll.). 



Gexus EcHixoDiCTViM, Ridley. 



EcHixoDK iM M i:i.i:(; \\s, Leudenfcld. 



(Plate xxiii., lig. i, and fig. 35.) 



1888. Kalykcnteron elcgaiis, Lendenfeld, Austr. Mus. Cat- 

 Sponges, 1888, p. 2 1 fa. 



Kalykenteron silex, Lendenfeld, Loc. cit., p. 217. 



1901. Tha]assodendro)i iypicd, Whitelegge (tion Lendenfeld),. 

 Rec. Austr. Mus., iv., 2, 1901, p. 8fa. 

 Sponge laniellui\ usually vasiform, subscssilc. Sur- 

 faces rarely quite evoi, the outer, axd sonieti))ies to a 



