THE SPONGES OF THE WEST-CENTRAL PACIFIC 117 



Kieplitela antrodes, new 



Text Figure No. 73 

 Plate VII, Figure a 



This species is here represented by the following: 



U.S.N.M. No. 23019, My No. M. 399, here designated as type, collected 

 July 15, 1949, by diver in Likiep Atoll near the south portion of the 

 lagoon in the vicinity of Lukonwoerr Islet. The depth was 4 meters, 

 and the substrate was dead coral. The species was fairly common in 

 only this portion of Likiep lagoon. 



. . . This species was also collected in 1948 at Bikini Atoll by Dr. T. E. 

 Bullock, his number C. 337. Very little collection data is available for 

 this specimen. 



U.S.N.M. No. 22875, My No. M. 172, collected July 30, 1949, by diver in 

 northwest Ponape between the reef and the shore. The depth was 4 

 meters, and the substrate was dead coral. The species is fairly common 

 in Ponape, being noticed also all the way around to southwest Ponape 

 near the province of Kiti. 



U.S.N.M. No. 23064, My No. M. 444, collected August 3, 1949, by diver 

 from a reef in the lagoon near shore in southwest Ponape (Kiti) near 

 Toletik Isle. The depth was 4 meters, and the substrate was dead coral. 

 As will be discussed further below, this specimen is exceedingly atypical 

 and may represent another species or even another genus. 



U.S.N.M. No. 22801, My No. N. 006, collected April 25, 1946, by J. P. E. 

 Morrison at Bikini Atoll, 7 kilometers south of the west end of Bikini 

 Islet. This was dredged from a depth of 50 meters. The substrate 

 was coralline algae. 



U.S.N.M. No. 23107, My No. M. 489, collected September 1, 1949, by divers 

 from Iwayama Bay near Koror in the Palaus. The depth was 2 meters, 

 and the substrate was dead coral. This species is very common in the 

 Palau Archipelago. 



U.S.N.M. No. 23148, My No. M. 532, collected September 20, 1949, by 

 diver in northwest Guam at Dungas Beach northeast of Agana. The 

 depth was less than 2 meters, and the substrate was dead coral. The 

 species was also found in some abundance at Merizo Bay at the extreme 

 south end of Guam so that it is one of the commonest of the very few 

 species occurring around Guam. 



The shape of this species is typically clavate, or club-shaped, although 

 older, larger specimens may become irregularly massive. A typical size is 

 12 cm in height and 7 cm in diameter at the largest place and about 3 cm in 

 diameter at the point of attachment. Some reach a maximum dimension of 

 15 cm in height and 18 cm in diameter. 



The color in life, of all the numerous specimens studied in the field, 

 with a single exception, was uniformly jet black. The specimen No. M. 444 



