58 THE SPONGES OF THE WEST-CENTRAL PACIFIC 



Haliclona streble, new 



Text Figure No. 33 

 Plate XT, Figure a 



This species is here represented by the following : 

 U.S.N.M. No. 23139, My No. M. 523, here designated as type, collected on 

 September 15, 1949, by diver in the lagoon southwest of Saipan, just 

 offshore from Charan Kanoa Village. The depth was 2 meters, and the 

 substrate was dead coral. It was not near the reef, but instead very 

 close to the shore which was quite steep at that point. In this limited 

 locality this species was very common. 



The shape is irregularly ramose, the branches have an average diameter 

 of about 4 mm, but are exceedingly lumpy, contorted, and irregular in out- 

 line. A vertical measurement of at least 6 cm is attained. 



Text Figure No. 33. Three of the 

 spicules (oxea) of Haliclona streble, X 

 781. 



The color in life was dull purple, and the consistency was fragile, but 

 somewhat spongy. 



The surface is obviously punctiform, as in the preceding species, due to 

 the fact that when removed from water the protoplasmic structure sinks 

 down into the skeletal pores. The latter are about 120 p. by 180 fx in diameter 

 and filled in with a fleshy dermis which is abundantly perforated by the genu- 

 ine pores. These are about 15 \x to 30 [x in diameter. The oscules are about 

 1 mm in diameter and occur in a crooked row along each branch at a dis- 

 tance of about 1 cm apart. 



The ectosome is haliclonid and otherwise much the same as in the pre- 

 ceding species. The endosome is the usual fibro-reticulation with rather scat- 

 tered soft parts. 



The skeleton consists of a very uniform reticulation of spongin fibers 

 usually about 40 ll in diameter but, in extreme cases, ranging from 30 fx to 

 80 ix in diameter. The mesh extends from about 100 \x to 250 jx in diameter 

 but is usually about 150 jx to 200 [x. These fibers contain scattered oxeas, 

 which are usually 3 [x by 66 jx to 3.5 /x by 77 {x in dimensions. Occasional 

 much smaller ones are probably juvenile. 



This new species is most sharply set off by the extremely contorted and 

 lumpy structure. The pore sieves also are unusual in the genus Haliclona. 

 They were described in the preceding species, but have been noted in very 

 few, if any, others. The lack of isodictyal structure in streble is also note- 

 worthy. Kirk in 1911, page 576, described a sponge as Chalina fistidosa 

 from the islands north of New Zealand and east of Australia. It had skeletal 



