THE SPONGES OF THE WEST-CENTRAL PACIFIC 203 



of being spiral, have a single curve in one plane, like a letter "C." The sizes 

 range from about 13 fi to 20 /x in chord length. 



Duchassaing and Michelotti in 1864, page 86, described from the West 

 Indies, Thalysias varians, which was transferred to Anthosigmella by de 

 Laubenfels, 1936, page 143. (See also de Laubenfels, 1949, in regard to 

 Bahamas sponges.) This species has tylostyles, about 6 ^ by 300 /x, and 

 microscleres 24 /x chord length. The latter are rarely typical spirasters but 

 usually are "C"-shaped, with a single curve in but one plane and have tuber- 

 cles rather than sharp-pointed spines. These tubercles may be consistently 

 arranged along the convex side of the microsclere. The genus Anthosigmella 

 was erected by Topsent, 1918, page 557, precisely for this peculiar microsclere 

 shape. This common West Indian sponge is strikingly marked by its occur- 

 rence in coral sand with a buried substratum from which digitate processes 

 arise. These have exactly the conspicuous oscules with pale rim and dark 

 lining (the same consistency and structure to the most minute detail) as the 

 species here identified as vagabunda. Spirastrella vagabunda was described by 

 Ridley, 1884, page 468, from the vicinity of the Indian Ocean, and its range 

 was extended to the Philippine Islands by Wilson, 1925, page 343. It is here 

 transferred for the first time to Anthosigmella, close to varians, from which 

 it seems to differ in that its microscleres are usually typical spirasters and 

 never exactly like those of varians, the genotype of Anthosigmella. On the 

 other hand, the resemblance in every other way is so close that it is possible 

 that the Pacific species is even conspecific with varians. 



FAMILY SUBERITIDAE Schmidt 



GENUS PSEUDOSUBERITES Topsent 



P s end o sub e rites andrewsi Kirkpatrick 



Text Figure No. 137 



This species is here represented by the following: 

 U.S.N.M. No. 22838, My No. M. 123, collected June 28, 1949, by diver at 



Majuro Atoll at the north side of the lagoon near Enemanok Islet. The 



depth was 2 meters, and the substrate was the sheltered underside of an 



upside-down enameled dinner plate. 

 U.S.N.M. No. 22840, My No. M. 128, collected June 29, 1949, by diver at 



Majuro Atoll, in the western portion of the lagoon, near Laura Islet in 



the miniature lagoon there. The depth was 2 meters, and the substrate 



was dead coral. 



This species is incrusting to massive, as found in the Marshall Islands. 

 It reaches a vertical measurement of 8 mm, and a lateral growth of at least 

 3 cm. 



The color in life of Specimen No. M. 123, was transparent, faintly 



