THE SPONGES OF THE WEST-CENTRAL PACIFIC 37 



This is a massive sponge, about 4 cm in diameter in the one case and 

 10 to 16 cm in diameter in the other. 



The color was violet, the specimen from Ailing-lap-lap being described 

 in the field as "vivid violet." That from Ponape was more dull. The interior 

 was the same color as the exterior. The consistency was very spongy. 



The surface of this species is distinctive. It is coarsely conulose instead 

 of finely conulose like fragilis. The conules are about 2 to 3 mm high and 

 6 to 10 mm apart. The pores are easily observed. They are about 80 ^ to 

 200 ix in diameter and 160 /* to 380 fi apart, center to center. The oscules, 

 about 10 mm in diameter, are often on the summits of lobes and look some- 

 what like the mouths of craters. 



The ectosome and endosome do not significantly differ from fragilis. 

 There is a thin skin of a protoplasmic nature, and the interior contains much 

 debris, especially in the fibers. The flagellate chambers are about 100 ll in 

 diameter and are sack-shaped or eurypyllous. 



The skeleton consists of a coarse reticulation of fibers which vary greatly 

 in diameter throughout their length, being exceedingly lumpy and irregular. 

 They are crowded with foreign material, sand grains, and fragments of for- 

 eign spicules. An average diameter is about 150 ll. 



This species was first described as Spongelia avara by Schmidt 1862, 

 page 29, from the Mediterranean. I found only the two specimens in the 

 summer of 1949, which was strange inasmuch as this species appears to be 

 common in the Philippines (de Laubenfels, 1935, page 328) and occurs in 

 Hawaii (de Laubenfels, 1950, page 9). Lendenfeld records it from the 

 Australian region (1889, page 667). It is doubtless circumequatorial in 

 distribution. 



Dysidea chlorea new 



Text Figure No. 19 



This species is here represented by the following : 

 U.S.N.M. No. 22971, My No. M. 347, here designated as type, collected July 

 5, 1949, by hand while wading in the western portion of the lagoon at 

 Pearl Pool at Ebon Atoll. The depth was just below tide mark, and the 

 substrate was dead coral. This species was common in this one locality. 



This is a ramose sponge with simple fingers 3 to 4 mm in diameter rising 

 to a height of about 4 cm from a very small basal mass. 



7"*Tv,^ Text Figure No. 19. Portion of the fiber of 



• *> "' ' V r ' P T- ii __i il . Dysidea chlorea, X 182. 



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