THE SPONGES OF THE WEST-CENTRAL PACIFIC 183 



A 



Text Figure No. 121. Spicules of Nailondria maza, X 182. A: Strongyle. B: Style. 



mangroves, in very shallow, darkly discolored water, at a depth of only 

 30 cm. The substrate was coral sand. Several other specimens of the 

 same sort were noticed in the vicinity. The shape is amorphous, reach- 

 ing a diameter of 15 cm. 



The color of the ectosome in life was chiefly yellow. In places it was 

 green, but the latter was probably due to algae. The endosome was only yel- 

 low. The consistency was soft, very much like that of wet, soggy bread. 



The surface is smooth, with a conspicuously separable dermis, abun- 

 dantly provided with pores, 50 ll to 100 ll in diameter and 60 ll to 160 /x 

 apart, center to center. The oscules are also fairly conspicuous, about 5 mm 

 in diameter and 3 cm apart. 



As already noted, the ectosome comprises a conspicuously separable 

 dermis, which contains abundant spicules tangentally arranged. The endo- 

 some is cavernous with spicules in confusion around small chambers which 

 are often as little as 100 ll in diameter but in some cases are much larger. 



The skeleton consists of two types of megascleres. There are styles, 

 about 12 ll by 540 ll in dimensions, which predominate in the ectosome. 

 There are strongyles, 12 ll by 630 ti in diameter, and which are found chiefly 

 in the endosome ; but even here they are not quite as numerous as the styles. 



The peculiar specific characteristics already have been discussed in con- 

 nection with the generic description. 



The specific name here selected is derived from a Greek word for a sort 

 of cake, referring both to the appearance of the whole sponge and to the 

 consistency which it exhibits.. 



GENUS CIOCALAPATA de Laubenfels 

 Ciocalapata sacciformis (Thiele) de Laubenfels 



Text Figure No. 122 



This species is here represented by the following: 

 U.S.N.M. No. 22926, My No. M. 232, collected September 1, 1949, by 

 divers in Iwayama Bay near Koror in the Palaus. The depth was 2 

 meters, and the substrate was dead coral. 



This is an irregular mass, 6 cm thick and 12 cm in diameter. 



The exterior color in life was a dirty white, but the interior was pale 

 green. The consistency was crisp, like a raw potato, not spongy ; it was neatly 

 and easilv cut. 



