THE SPONGES OF THE WEST-CENTRAL PACIFIC 159 

 — : — %r> 



\ 



-T. 



Text Figure No. 103. Spicule (tylostyle) of Fasubera debrumi, X 782. 



The surface is fundamentally smooth, but inasmuch as the incrustation 

 covered very lumpy coral, the optical illusion of a conulose surface is given. 

 As might be expected, this very thin sponge is lipostomous. 



Ectosome and endosome cannot be satisfactorily differentiated. 



The skeleton consists of spicules of one type only, chiefly erect, with 

 their heads at the substratum and their points perpendicular to the surface. 

 These are tylostyles, with heads which are long in the direction of the long 

 axis of the spicule. The total dimensions of this megasclere commonly are 

 2.5 n by 225 //,. 



The other species of Fasubera, described first as Hymedesmia lipochela 

 by Dendy 1921, page 82, from the Indian Ocean, had spicules with rather 

 typical heads and much larger size. 



The species name selected here is given in recognition of a family which 

 is resident in Likiep Atoll named de Brum. Members of this family were 

 very helpful in promoting scientific study in this part of the world. In this 

 regard, special mention may be made of Raymond de Brum. 



GENUS FOLITISPA de Laubenfels 

 Folitispa pingens, new 



Text Figure No. 104 



This species is here represented by the following : 



U.S.N.M. No. 22924, My No. M. 230, here designated as type, collected 

 September 1, 1949, by divers at Iwayama Bay near Koror in the Palaus. 

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



U.S.N.M. No. 22918, My No. M. 224, collected September 1, 1949, and 



U.S.N.M. No. 22930, My No. M. 236, collected September 6, 1949, both 

 from the same general areas as No. M. 230. This species is very abun- 

 dant in all the water around the Palau Archipelago. 



U.S.N.M. No. 22885, My No. M. 185, and 



U.S.N.M. No. 22889, My No. M. 189, both collected August 3, 1949, by diver 

 from the southwest portion of Ponape near Toletik Isle in the province 

 of Kiti from a reef in the lagoon near the shore. The depth was 4 

 meters, and the substrate was dead coral. 



This species is incrusting and most specimens are under 1 mm in thick- 

 ness, but older specimens (such as particularly No. M. 224) reach a thick- 

 ness of 10 mm in places. There is no indication of even a beginning of pro- 

 liferation. Lateral dimensions are often as much as 10 or 20 cm. 



