5« 



PORIFERA. II. 



Lycopodina n. subg. 

 Lateral branches issuing all round from an axis, or the brandies collected in the upper end of 

 this axis; sometimes the lateral branches are more or less coalesced. The skeleton consists of a spicula- 

 axis, and the branches are supported by fibres inserted in the axis, or in other ways connected with it. 

 Spicula: Megasclera styli or snbtylostyli; microsclera: the characteristic anisochete palmate are small, 

 the ate of the larger end pass down quite to the opposite end, which is rather broad ; to these spicules 

 forcipes are most frequently added. 



4. A. cupressiformis Cart. 

 P1.II, Figs. 11 — 14. PL XI, Figs.4a— f, 5. 



1874. Esperia cupressiformis Carter, Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist. Ser. 4, XIV, 215, partim, specimen in inter- 

 clusione commemoratum exclusum, PI. XIV, fig. 16 a — i, figs. 17— 18, PL XV, fig. 37. 



1885.? Esperia bihamafifera Armauer Hansen, The Norwegian North-Atlantic Exp, XIII, Spongiadse, 

 partim PL VI, fig. 1, PL VII, fig. 1. 



1886. Esperella cupressiformis var. robust a Levinsen, Dijmphna Togtets zool. bot. Udbytte, 364, 18 a, 



Tab. XXIX, Fig. 10- 1 1, Tab. XXXI, Fig. 7— 14, i6a,b,c. 



1887. Cladorhisa cupressiformis Fristedt, Vega-Exp. vetensk. Iakttag., IV, 457, PL 25, figs. 66— 69, 



Pl-3 1 * %• 2 7- 

 1900. Esperella Fristedtii Lambe, partim, specimina dna e tribns commemoratis, Transact, of the Royal 



Soc. of Canada, Ser. 2, VI, Sect. IV, 21, PL I, figs. 2, 2 a.— e. 



Irregularly situated short lateral branches pass off all round from the axis, or the brandies 

 coalescing to a curled surface; sometimes all the upper part or only the uppermost portion of it leaf- 

 shaped. The skeleton consists of a spicula-axis, the ramigcrous part is supported by an irregular skeleton, 

 from which the fibres of the lateral brandies pass off, but they are not inserted in the axis. Spicula: 

 Megasclera subtylostyli or styli 0-35— 0-84""" : microsclera of two forms, the characteristic anisochete 

 palmate 0-023 — 0-025""", forcipes 0-038 — 0-046'""". 



This species is of a slender, erect form. Below it consists of a more or less long stalk, all but 

 cylindrical, which is most frequently one fourth of the total length. The npper part is somewhat 

 thicker than the stalk and carries a number of short lateral branches, placed irregularly, and issuing 

 all round. These branches may be very short, so that they almost do not project over the surface, or 

 there may between them, or instead of them, be found low ridges especially running longitudinally, 

 and then the upper part shows only a highly .wrinkled, folded, or curled surface; but in most cases 

 the projections are formed as cylindrical, a little conical branches rising with a broad base from the 

 axis. They reach at most a length of about 3'™. Sometimes the sponge is above widened to a small 

 leaf-shaped part (PL II, fig. 11), and one specimen consists of a quite short stalk passing into a broad, 

 rather thin leaf with a grooved and wrinkled surface (PL II, fig. 12). Below the sponge is attached 

 by a somewhat widened part of the stalk. The specimens in hand from the territory treated here are 

 torn off from the substratum, but specimens from the Kara Sea are attached to shells (Astarfe sp), 

 worm-tubes (Spiocha-topterus typicus and especially Pcdiuaria hypcrborca), and to pebbles. The largest 



