THE SPONGES OF THE WEST-CENTRAL PACIFIC 



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Text Figure No. 67. Adocia turquoisia. A: A portion of the surface, showing pores, and 

 the network of spicules across each, X 162. B: Two of the spicules (oxea), X 781. 



The shape is ramose. In places a series of low conical processes extend 

 in a row so that the result is something like a cockscomb. A common vertical 

 measurement is 3 to 6 cm, and the diameter or thickness was 1 cm. 



The color in life was somewhat bluish green, both as to ectosome and 

 endosome, and the consistency was softly spongy, easily torn. 



The surface is very smooth. The pores are about 100 /x in diameter, 

 but each is covered over by the typical adociid isodictyal dermal reticulation. 

 The oscules are about 4 mm in diameter and 3 cm apart. There is some tend- 

 ency to a raised rim about the oscules. They are not terminally placed but 

 are on the sides of the sponge. 



The ectosome is a typical adociid dermis, and the endosome is also an 

 isodictyal reticulation. 



The skeleton consists of - oxeas attached to one another, presumably by 

 spongin, at the ends only. These are 4 ju. by 98 /* to 5 /* by 103 p in 

 dimensions. 



If the various specimens studied during the summer of 1949 and attrib- 

 uted to this new species turquoisia are studied from the western portion of 

 their range towards the eastern, one finds greener ones to the west and pro- 

 gressively more bluish specimens to the east. The Majuro specimens were 

 almost clear blue. Also from west to east, the specimens become less and 

 less ramose. Finally, in Majuro, some were entirely incrusting. 



The species turquoisia is set off within the genus Adocia by the green 

 or bluish-green color. Actually some specimens of neens from the West 

 Indian region verge towards bluish, but neens is well marked by the strongy- 

 lote nature of its spicules. Field observations made of both neens and tur- 

 quoisia in Ponape, where both occurred, tend to confirm the belief that they 



