THE SPONGES OF THE WEST-CENTRAL PACIFIC 193 



The genus Prianos is represented rather well in waters of the Mediter- 

 ranean and western European regions where its type was first described as 

 Reniera crater a by Schmidt, 1862, page 73. In 1864, page 38, Schmidt describ- 

 ed it again from almost the same region, this time calling it Reniera amorpha. 

 Bowerbank described it from English waters in 1874, page 243, as Desmaci- 

 don columella. The resemblance of this to amorpha was pointed out by de 

 Laubenfels, 1932, page 52. The latter author, 1930, page 26, described Prianos 

 problematicus from the coast of California. The European species has spicules 

 much thicker but shorter than those of the Pacific form, here first described. 

 The California specimen, from the eastern Pacific, has very much smaller 

 spicules than either of the others and, in addition, contains what seems to be 

 oxeas. These may be merely developmental forms, as in Prianos phlox, but 

 the possibility exists that they might be raphides of a distinctive category and 

 thus gave rise to the name problematicus. 



The name phlox was selected for this new species from the western 

 Pacific, because of its unique bright flame-red or orange color. 



Prianos melanos, new 



Text Figure No. 130 



This species is here represented by the following : 

 U.S.N.M. No. 22985, My No. M. 363, here designated as type, collected 

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

 corner of the lagoon. The depth was 2 meters, and the substrate was 

 dead coral. It was very common in this vicinity. 



This is an incrusting form, about 0.6 mm thick, consisting of many 

 patches of indefinite lateral growth. 



The color in life was shiny jet black. The consistency was a colloidal sol. 



The surface is shiny smooth and quite lipostomous. 



Ectosome and endosome structures are merely in confusion, with proto- 

 plasm mingled with spicules. 



The skeleton consists entirely of straight strongyles, 3 /x by 227 \x in 

 dimensions. A few smaller ones are undoubtedly juvenile. 



The genus Prianos has been outlined in connection with the discussion of 

 Prianos phlox. The present species is set off from the others most particularly 

 by its color, but it has a very small size of spicule as an additional character- 

 istic. In fact, its skeleton is so scanty that doubt may arise as to the generic al- 



j 



Text Figure No. 130. Spicule (strongyle) of Prianos melanos, X 781. The entire spicule 



is shown, but in two parts. 



