THE SPONGES OF THE WEST-CENTRAL PACIFIC 



23 



Ircinia ramosa (Keller) de Laubenfels 



Text Figure No. 11 



This species is here represented by the following : 

 U.S.N.M. No. 23106, My No. M. 488, collected on September 1, 1949, by 



divers in Iwayama Bay, Koror, in the Palaus. The depth was 2 meters, 



and the substrate dead coral. 

 U.S.N.M. No. 23053, My No. M. 433, collected on August 1, 1949, by diver 



in eastern Ponape (Matalanim) from a reef in the lagoon, near an 



entrance to the lagoon. The depth was 5 meters, and the substrate was 



dead coral. 



This species was found to be present, but not common, in Ponape, but 

 it appeared to be widespread and common about Koror. 



The shape of this sponge is, as the name implies, ramose, and the Palau 

 Islands specimens are quite typical, about 1 cm in diameter of branches. The 

 total height reaches as much as 20 cm. The rarer specimens from Ponape 

 were not at all typical but were small irregular masses. They are identified 



Text Figure No. 11. A: Portion of the 

 fascicular fiber of Ircinia ramosa, X 182. 

 B : Filaments X 781 ; bits of normal fila- 

 ment at the upper left ; those that may 

 be, or may have been, algal, at the right. 



