90 THE SPONGES OF THE WEST-CENTRAL PACIFIC 



The skeleton consists of clear spongin fibers, about 30 [x in diameter, 

 making very regular meshes which are often square and about 100 [x in 

 diameter. The megascleres are very often situated in the middle of these 

 fibers and usually are as few as one spicule per cross section. These are 

 oxeas 6 jx by 140 \x in dimensions. In addition to them, there are numerous 

 microscleres present. These are sigmas of two thicknesses, from about 20 \x 

 to 25 fx in chord length, in all cases. The thinner ones are only a minute 

 fraction of a micron thick, but the other category has a thickness of about 2 fx. 



Hentschel in 1912, page 395, described Gelliodes gracilis from the East 

 Indian region. His specimens had very numerous oscules, and there is not 

 enough data to know if they corresponded in color to this specimen from 

 the Palaus, but the resemblance is close enough that one is reluctant to create 

 a new species name. 



There is a very serious question as to whether gracilis belongs in the 

 genus Gelliodes. It answers to the usual diagnosis of that genus, in that it is 

 a fibrous sponge with oxeas and sigmas, but the dermal structures and general 

 over-all appearance are extremely different from the genotype of Gelliodes. 

 On the other hand, there is no other genus which fits better, and the only 

 alternative would be to erect a new genus. This is not deemed advisable at 

 the present time. The contrast, however, is brought out in Plate 5, Figure a. 



Gelliodes callista, new 



Text Figure No. 54 

 Plate V, Figure c 



This species is here represented by the following: 

 U.S.N.M. No. 23131, My No. M. 514, here designated as type, collected 

 September 6, 1949, by using a fish spear, in Iwayama Bay near Uleb- 

 sechel Island in the Palaus. The depth was less than 2 meters, and the 

 substrate was dead coral. This species was not common. 



The shape is sprawling ramose, with branches 3 to 4 cm in diameter and 

 a long measurement of at least 21 cm. The colony attained a lateral measure- 

 ment of at least 21 cm. 



The color in life was a beautiful pinkish orange, often described as peach 

 color. The endosome possessed this shade to an even more intense degree 

 than did the ectosome. The consistency was spongy. 



The surface is conulose, with conules 3 or 4 mm high and 5 or 6 mm 



B 



Text Figure No. 54. Spicules of Gelliodes callista, X 781. A: Oxea. B: Sigma. 



