﻿240 



'ENDEAVOUR" SCIENTIFIC RESULTS. 



fibres are cored. The coring spicules are styli measuring; 

 150 X 6|i. (Microscleres are not mentioned; nor is there any 

 reference to oscula). 



Clathria macropora, Lendenfeld,^ judging from its descrip- 

 tion, is very probably -a Wilsonella. The sponge is "irregular,, 

 massive, lobose. The oscula are very conspicuous, and scat- 

 tered over the whole of the surface ; they are on an average 

 5 mm. wide and fairly abundant. The skeleton consists of a 

 network of mostly longitudinally disposed fibres .13 mm. 

 thick, which contain an axial bundle .07 mm. thick of slender 

 oxea and styli, the former being more numerous. These spi- 

 cules are .14 mm. long and .4 mm. thick." (The "oxea and 

 styli" are very probably different forms of one and the same 

 spicule. Microscleres are not mentioned). 



Clathria pyramida, Lendenfeld.i The Australian Museum 

 specimen labelled as the type of this species is of massive 

 form, and has a slightly lumpy surface which is here and there 

 raised up into large mammiform or conical prominences. 

 Oscula are not apparent. The skeleton is composed of coarse 

 fibres (sometimes exceeding 300 ]i in thickness), with a 

 stout spicular core (up to 160 j^ in diameter), and a thick 

 spongin sheath which appears coarsely stratified and some- 

 times has a rugged surface. Connecting fibres, which are 

 usually short and stout, and without axial spicules, are of 

 comparatively rare occurrence ; so that the skeleton is much 

 more of the dendritic type characteristic of CrcUa than of the 

 reticulate type of Clathria. Acanthostyles occur fairly 

 abundantly as echinating spicules, ^\ hilst both kinds of megas- 

 clere are plentifully scattered through the ground tissues. The 

 smooth styli are straight, slightly fusiform, spicules var}ing in 

 length from igo to 240 n and sometimes attaining a diameter 

 of 7 p. The acanthostyles are provided with relatively few, 

 fairly large spines ; they vary in length from 80 to 140 ;i, whilst 

 the stoutest are g ]i in diameter. The microscleres are stout 

 isochelse palmatte^ in which the shaft is provided with a wing- 

 like expansion along each side. The species might therefore 

 be considered to include Clathria alata, Dendy {vide infra), as 

 a variety. The chelae are moderately abundant and vary in 

 length from 20 to 25 fi. 



(The "Endea\-our" obtained at a depth of 33-40 fathoms, 

 off the north coast of New South Wales, two specimens of a 



1 Lendenfeld— Gat. Sponges Austr. Mus.. 1888, p. 221. See also p. 165 of 

 the present Report. 



2 The chelte are identical in form vsith those figured by Hentschel 

 (Inc cit , p. 376) for the West Australian sponge described by him under 

 the name of Clathria alata, Dendy. Hentschel himself draws attention 

 to the probability of an identity between C. vvramida and G. alata.. 

 The West Australian sponge should, I think, receive a varietal name, 

 since the smooth megascleres are tylostylote in their young stages.. 



