ii 4 



PORIFERA. II. 



Lat. N., 20° 05' Long. W., depth 44 fathoms; Greenland, Proven (Bolbroe, Schmidt's type specimen); 

 the Davis Strait 65 27' Lat. N., 54 45' Long. W. (Wandel); East-Greenland (the East-Greenland Ex- 

 pedition 1891—92); Forsblad's Fjord, depth 50 — 90 fathoms, Hurry Inlet depth 50 fathoms (the Amdrup 

 Expedition 1900); twenty miles east of Seydisfjord, depth 135 fathoms (Wandel); 64 27' Lat. N., 13 27' 

 Long. W., depth 84 fathoms, 64° 58' Lat. N., n° 12' Long. W., depth 300 fathoms (Ad. Jensen, the crnise 

 of the Michael Sars 1902). The mentioned localities are situated in the Davis Strait, off East- 

 Greenland, North and East of Iceland, and between the Faroe Islands and Iceland. 



Geogr. distr. Besides at the localities mentioned above, the species has been taken between 

 Norway and Spitzbergen, 72 36-5' Lat. N., 24 57-5' Long. E., depth 140 fathoms ( Willem Barents ); 

 Spitzbergen, depth 40 fathoms, Kola Bay depth 95 — 100 fathoms (Fristedt); Nova Scotia, 43° 03' Lat. N., 

 63 39' Long. W., depth 85 fathoms (Challenger). Thus the species is exclusively a northern one, its 

 southernmost boundary being 43 03' Lat. N., and, as usual, it goes only so far south at the eastern coast 

 of America. Its longitudinal distribution is from the Davis Strait to Spitzbergen. It has been taken 

 at depths from 40 fathoms (Spitzbergen) to 420 fathoms (the Davis Strait, 65 14' Lat. N.). 



2. A. apollinis Ridley and Dendy. 

 PI. XIII, Fig. 4 a— g. 



1887. Amphilectus apollinis Ridley and Dendy, Challenger Report, Monaxonida, XX, 124, PI. XIX, 

 figs- 3> 3 a — c - 

 Formed as a thick incrustation or flat cushion. The dermal membrane a thin fllm with a reti- 

 culation of spicules. The skeleton a halichondroid reticulation of polyspicular fibres, spicula- bundles and 

 single spicules. Spicula : Megasclera styli of tzuo forms, larger ones, smooth, or with a slight erenulatiou 

 at the head-end, o'jjj — o-8""". in the main skeleton ; smaller ones, with very slightly spined head-end, 

 o-2g — o-jg""", in the dermal skeleton; microsclera of two forms, small isochehv palmatce o-o/j—o-o/8""", 

 toxa, large, spined ones o'jo""", smaller, smooth ones 0-085 — o-26'""". 



Of this species we have only two fragments with a greatest extent of 35""". Ridley and 

 Dendy describe their species as «massive, amorphous, cavernous. The largest specimen is oval, 

 cake-shaped; about 50 mm long by 38 mm wide and ig mm thick . The fragments in hand agree entirely 

 with this description and convey also the impression of having belonged to a flat, thick crust-shaped 

 sponge. The colour (in spirit) is light yellowish gray. The consistency is loose and soft. As the 

 fragments in hand are much damaged, the original surface has only been preserved to a slight degree; 

 I take it, however, to be certain that it is sparingly shaggy from projecting spicules. The dermal mem- 

 brane is a thin film pierced by the mentioned spicules, and it seems to be provided with a somewhat 

 irregular reticulation of styli of the smaller form. Of pores a few were seen in the undamaged parts 

 of the dermal membrane; oscula, on the contrary, were not found. Ridley and Dendy describe the 

 dermal membrane in a similar way, nor have they seen any oscula. 



The skeleton is an irregular and somewhat halichondroid reticulation of polyspicular, but loose 

 and little marked fibres, spicula-bundles, and scattered spicules. In the nodes a very distinct, clear, and 

 white mass of spongin is found. 



