THE SPONGES OF THE WEST-CENTRAL PACIFIC 



Text Figure No. 1. A portion of the fiber of Spongia officinalis, subspecies matamata, 

 X 182. One of the rare primary or cored fibers shows. 



to Ebon Atoll, and quite absent from Likiep Atoll. Presumably reliable reports 

 place it as common at Mejit Island of the Marshalls, and present in scattered 

 others of the islands and atolls of this archipelago. It was present but very- 

 rare in Ponape, only the one small specimen being found there in 1949. 



The vertical measurement frequently reaches 15 centimeters, and the 

 diameter 20 cm. The Ponape specimen consisted of three cones, each 8 cm 

 high, and about 5 cm in diameter at the base, the cones being loosely attached 

 to one another at the base. The indications are that for the first two or more 

 years, the sponge grows in a nearly spherical shape, but thereafter elongate 

 projections begin to rise, which are rather conical than digitate. Many speci- 

 mens might be described as lobate. 



The color of the sponges of this type, if they grow in a fairly bright 

 illumination, tends to be jet black, but an occasional specimen was extremely 

 dark brown (or sepia) rather than blue-black. No connection with ecological 

 placement could be found to account for the fact that some specimens were 

 slightly brownish, nor did they show indications of differing in any other 

 way except color. Specimens which grew in more shaded areas were paler; 

 the more shade the less black. The endosome was regularly drab, not at all 

 reddish. The consistency was, of course, very spongy; in fact, attaining to 

 the very maximum of the quality thus designated. 



The surface is finely conulose all over. The conules are somewhat less 

 than 1 mm high and usually between 1 and 2 mm apart. The pores are micro- 



