26 THE SPONGES OF THE WEST-CENTRAL PACIFIC 



GENUS SPONGIONELLA Bowerbank 

 Spongionella chondrodes, new 



Text Figure No. 13 



This species is here represented by the following: 

 U.S.N. M. No. 23112, My No. M. 494, here designated as type, collected 

 September 1, 1949, by divers at Iwayama Bay near Koror in the Palaus. 

 The depth was 2 meters, and the substrate was dead coral. 



This sponge was not common, but on September 6, 1949, two more 

 specimens were discovered. This sponge might be said to be laminate, but 

 the walls, which are about 1 cm thick and 5 cm high, form a labyrinthine pat- 

 tern enclosing walled rooms and zig-zag passageways. The total structure is 

 30 cm in diameter. One of the specimens found on the 6th of September 

 had many of the rooms so nearly circular that a tubular appearance was 

 approximated. In the field this does not look like a sponge and was col- 

 lected with grave doubt as to its poriferan nature. 



The color in life was dull grayish drab, fading in alcohol to nearly white. 

 The interior was of the same pale color. The consistency was very much 

 like that of cartilage or stiff jelly. 



The surface is smooth, shining, and slippery to the touch, practically 

 imperforate. Even under the microscope, pores could not certainly be found, 

 though several spots were located which seemed to represent completely 

 closed pores. The oscules were discovered, however. They have a diameter 

 of 1 to 2 mm and are widely scattered, 3 to 13 cm apart. They were on the 

 ridge or upper edge of the walls. 



Text Figure No. 13. A portion of the fibrous skeleton of Spongionella chondrodes, X 182. 



