SPONGES. 15 ( J 



SUB-FAMILV : ESrEIlELLIN.E. 



DesinacidonkLe without echinating spicules, and without fistular outgrowths of the 

 sponge body. 



Esperella, Vosmaer. 



Esperellinse of various external form, usually massive, lobose or ramose. Skeleton 

 usually fibrous, often with much spongin. Megascleres monactinal, stylote or 

 tylostylote. Characteristic microscleres palmate anisochelre, to which may be 

 added smooth sigmata, toxa, trichodragmata and small isocheke* in various 

 combinations. 



Esperella parishii (Bowerbank ?), Ridley. 



[For synonymy and literature ride Ridley and Dendy (1), p. 65.] 



There is one small, thinly encrusting specimen of this sponge in the collection, 

 growing on a calcareous nodule in association with Paresperclla serratohamctta and 

 Hymedesmia stellivarians. The specimen agrees very closely in spiculation with the 

 description given by Ridley (16), except that the megascleres are a little larger and 

 the trichodragmata contain many more spicules. 



The species has been hitherto recorded from the Straits of Malacca (Bowerbank) ; 

 Port Darwin, Australia (Ridley), and the Philippine Islands ("Challenger"). Re- 

 examination of the " Challenger " specimen, however, has convinced me that it does 

 uot belong to the same species as those described by Ridley from Australia and 

 found by Professor Herdman in Ceylon waters, as it possesses toxa. It must be 

 remembered that Bowerbank (49) originally described toxa as forming part of the 

 spiculation, but Ridley regarded these as foreign elements. It is probable that we 

 have here a confusion between two species. 



It appears not improbable that the " thin fragment" recorded by Carter (4) from 

 the Gulf of Manaar, under the name Esperia tunicata. Sdt., may be specifically 

 identical with our specimen. 



R.N. 220a (deep water off Galle and onwards up West Coast of Ceylon). 



Esperella plumosa (Carter). 



1882, Esperia plumosa, Cahtku (33) ; 188G, Esperia plumosa, Cakteu (20). 

 Sponge irregularly frondose or digitate ; clathrous. Surface irregularly cactiform 

 or conulose, covered by a very well-developed, stellately reticulate dermal membrane. 

 Vents not seen; pores scattered in the meshes of the dermal reticulation. Texture 

 (in spirit) coarsely fibrous, compressible, resilient, fragile. Colour grey. The largest 

 fragment measures about 62 millims. in height by 41 millims. in greatest breadth. 



The main skeleton is an irregular reticulation of coarse, stout, multispicular fibre 

 without visible spongin; the main fibres running lengthwise and branching and 



* Possibly young forms of the anisoehelse. 



