THE SPONGES OF THE WEST-CENTRAL PACIFIC 75 



other species of the genus Reniera. Reniera is separated from Rcniclona by 

 the tendency to rise high in tubular form. Undoubtedly, specimens growing 

 in regions of strong currents would suffer a suppression of this tubular 

 tendency and resemble Reniclona. 



Reniera chrysa, new 



Text Figure No. 45 



This species is here represented by the following : 

 U.S.N.M. No. 22946, My No. M. 317, here designated as type, collected 

 June 21, 1949, by diver at Ailing-lap-lap Atoll at the north side of the 

 lagoon near Matien Islet. The depth was 5 meters and the substrate 

 was dead coral. 



This species consists of erect tubes reaching a height of at least 35 mm. 

 They are 1 1 mm in diameter and had walls only 1 mm thick. 



The color in life was vivid yellow, and the consistency weakly spongy. 

 The surface is optically smooth but microscopically roughened. 



Those openings, which seem to be pores, occur conspicuously, 60 fx to 

 100 jx in diameter and 200 /x apart, center to center. Yet these structures 

 seem almost to penetrate the entire thickness of the walls, so that they are 

 hardly typical pores. Because of the thin structure, it is difficult to differ- 

 entiate between endosome and ectosome, but a fibro-reticulation is evident. 



The skeleton consists of oxeas, 8 /x by 172 jx in dimensions, arranged 

 in vague fibers with spongin. The largest fibers reach a total diameter of 

 400 fx. 



The species chrysa is sharply cut off from nearly all others in Reniera 

 by its bright golden color. Swarchewsky, 1906, page 330, described Reniera 

 hirsuta from the Arctic. It is extremely close to chrysa in all items of de- 

 scription except for the fact .that the latter is not at all hirsute, and the former 

 is emphatically so. Furthermore, the color of hirsuta may have been other- 

 wise in life; it was yellow after preservation in alcohol. Mention may be 

 made of Reniera pulchcrrima (Br^ndsted, 1924, page 451) from New Zea- 

 land. Its color was inconspicuous, however, and its spicules much larger 

 than those in chrysa. 



The species' name is derived from a Greek word for "gold" and refers 

 to the bright color of this sponge. 



Text Figure No. 45. One of the spicules (oxea) of Reniera chrysa, X 781. 



