THE SPONGES OF THE WEST-CENTRAL PACIFIC 



103 



Text Figure No. 64. Three of the spicules (oxea) of Pellina pulvilla, X 781. 



chambers, which are round and 25 fx to 35 /x in diameter, are rendered espe- 

 cially conspicuous by the darkly pigmented cells which surround them. 



The skeleton contains no fibers but only oxeas in isodictyal reticulation. 

 These are usually 4 /x by 120 ll to 5 [x by 100 li in dimensions, but a few are 

 as small as 1.5 fx by 100 /x. 



Thiele, 1903, page 939, described Protoschmidtia pulvillus from the East 

 Indies. It is transferred here to the genus Pellina. This species from Guam 

 quite possibly deserves a new name. Thiele's brief description gives no basis 

 for separation, but he mentions nothing of the peculiar endosome structure. 

 Were pulvillus better known, it might prove to be significantly different in 

 this and other respects. 



GENUS ADO CI A Gray 

 Adocia viola, new 



Text Figure No. 65 



This species is here represented as follows : 

 U.S.N.M. No. 23142, My No. M. 526, here designated as type, collected 



September 20, 1949, by diver in northwest Guam northeast of Agana at 



Dungas Beach. The depth was less than 2 meters, and the substrate was 



dead coral. 

 U.S.N.M. No. 23042, My No. M. 421, collected August 1, 1949, by diver in 



eastern Ponape (Matalanim) from a reef in the lagoon near an entrance 



to the lagoon. The depth was 5 meters, and the substrate was dead coral. 

 U.S.N.M. No. 23048, My No. M. 427, collected at the same time and vicinity 



as the preceding. This species was common at Guam and fairly common 



at Ponape. 



The shape is massive to amorphous. The type specimen is 4 cm thick, 

 but many other specimens were as little as 1 cm in vertical dimensions. In 

 lateral growth, 1 1 cm was common. 



The color in life was consistently purple. A few specimens deep inside 

 the interior were drab, but these portions may have been pathological or 

 moribund. The consistency was very soft and very fragile. 



