THE SPONGES OF THE WEST-CENTRAL PACIFIC 15 



Text Figure No. 6. A portion of the fibrous skeleton of Aidena concertina, X 182. 



punched in it. Actually they are rounded in outline, almost spherical, and 

 20 fi in diameter. 



The type of the genus, A. villosa (from Australia), is pronouncedly 

 villous. A. Columbia (from the West Indies) is not villous and is in many 

 ways more like concertina, but is a massive species (whereas concertina is 

 ramose). A. laminaefavosa (from the Australian region) is closest to con- 

 certina, being also somewhat ramose and having much foreign material in 

 the ectosome. On the other hand its surface is described as being smooth. 

 It cannot be regarded as well-known, in spite of the fact that much has been 

 written about it. Study of type material is necessary, and after such study 

 it might prove to be the case that concertina would fall in synonymy to lami- 

 naefavosa. This latter was named first by Carter in 1885, page 212, as Holop- 

 samma laminaefavosa, but was described very briefly. Lendenfeld in 1885, 

 page 285, and again 1889, page 457, devoted many pages to this sponge, but 

 said many things so contradictory and in many cases so obviously incorrect 

 that the situation thereby is rendered less clear, and the need for further 

 study of Australian specimens is emphasized. 



GENUS PHYLLOSPONGIA Ehlers 

 Phyllospongia lekanis new 



Text Figure No. 7 

 Plate III, Figure b 



This species is here represented by the following : 

 U.S.N.M. No. 23109, My No. M. 491, the type, collected on September 1, 

 1949, by divers in Iwayama Bay, Koror, in the Palau Islands. The 

 depth was 2 meters. The substrate was usually dead mollusk shells. 



