164 THE SPONGES OF THE WEST-CENTRAL PACIFIC 



Australian and has smaller coring spicules, and the interstitial spicules are 

 peculiar strongyles, often as small as only 1 fx by 100 ll. It is typically also 

 a very honeycombed structure. It was first described as Halme laxa by Len- 

 denfeld, 1886, page 847, and referred to Echinoclathria by Hallman, 1914, 

 page 287. Hallmann correctly points out that Halme gigantca Lendenfeld, 

 same page and same location, should probably fall in synonymy, and this 

 is confirmed here. Lendenfeld, 1888, page 226, described a sponge as 

 Plectispa arborea. Although it is not particularly honeycombed, it agrees in 

 other ways and here is also dropped in synonymy to laxa. The third species 

 was first described by Lambe 1893, page 76, from Alaska and was mis- 

 identified as being Phakellia papyracea Ridley and Dendy. Hentschel 1929, 

 page 975, recognized it as new, naming it beringensis, but left it in Phakellia. 

 De Laubenfels 1942, page 264, redescribed it from Baffin Bay as Echino- 

 clathria schmitti. Echinoclathria beringensis is abundant in the Arctic, and 

 sharply characterized by vase-shape; its spicules are practically identical 

 with those of waldoschmitti. 



The name is given in respect to the eminent zoologist, Waldo L. Schmitt. 



The sponge first described as Echinoclathria favus by Carter, 1885, page 

 292, here is transferred to Axociella, because of its possession of palmate iso- 

 chelas. The genus Plectispa Lendenfeld, 1885, page 225, needs to have its 

 genotype designated. Therefore, this is selected here as Plectispa arborea 

 Lendenfeld, 1885, page 226. But, as noted above, this is transferred to 

 Echinoclathria, and therefore the genus Plectispa falls in synonymy to 

 Echinoclathria. The other two species put into Plectispa were placed there 

 by Lendenfeld, 1885, page 226. They were named elegans and macropora. 

 Hallman, 1914, page 300, by his use of asterisks, indicates that he found no 

 such specimen in the Australian Museum, and they were originally described 

 by Lendenfeld in his account of sponges of the Australian Museum. They 

 must be regarded as ill-known and perhaps nonexistent species. 



FAMILY AMPHILECTIDAE de Laubenfels 



GENUS ULOSA de Laubenfels 



Ulosa spongia, new 



Text Figure No. 107 



This species here is represented by the following: 

 U.S.N.M. No. 22851, My No. M. 145, here designated as type, collected 

 July 5, 1949, by diver at Ebon Atoll at the south corner of the lagoon in 

 the miniature lagoon which is there located. The depth was 2 meters, 

 and the substrate was dead coral. 



This is an incrusting sponge but is very uneven in thickness, some por- 

 tions being as much as 10 mm thick while others are only 1 mm thick. It 

 spreads laterally at least 10 cm. 



