204 THE SPONGES Of THE WEST-CENTRAL PACIFIC 



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Text Figure No. 137. Spicule (tylostyle) of Pseudosubcritcs andrczvsi, X 782. 



ochraceous, while that of No. M. 128 was dark purple. This is very remark- 

 able and almost warrants the erection of new species, but the two seem in 

 other respects conspecific. Therefore, such action is not at present taken. 

 This particular difference may be ecological, due to the peculiar substrate. 

 The consistency was softly colloidal. 



The surface is shiny smooth, and the location of the pores is rendered 

 evident by minute pits. They are completely closed upon collection. The 

 oscules cannot be discriminated from the pores. 



There seem to be no special ectosomal structures, other than merely 

 protoplasmic ones, and the endosome is similarly vague. 



The skeleton consists of tylostyles in confusion. These are 4 /x by 355 fx 

 in measurement. 



Kirkpatrick in 1900, page 134, described Pseudosuberites andrezvsi from 

 the eastern portion of the Indian Ocean. Many species from that vicinity also 

 are found throughout the portion of the western Pacific which is treated in 

 the present paper. Kirkpatrick's specimen was lamellate and had spicules 6 [x 

 thick, but in other ways the comparison is very close to No. M. 123. 



GENUS ATERGIA Stephens 

 Atergia purpurea, new 



Text Figure No. 138 



This species is here represented by the following : 

 U.S.N.M. No. 22969, My No. M. 345, here designated as type, collected 

 July 5, 1949, by hand while wading in the Pearl Pool in the western 

 portion of the lagoon at Ebon Atoll. The depth was just below low tide, 

 and the substrate was algae of the Valonia type. This sponge was found 

 also on algae of the coralline type. Several handfuls could be collected in 

 this vicinity, but large specimens could not be disentangled from the 

 ubiquitous algae. 



The ectosome and endosome color in life was dull purple. It is note- 

 worthy that when placed in alcohol, this color faded and the alcohol became 

 orange. The consistency was mediocre. 



The surface of this species is smooth and micro-punctiform, with pores 

 40 fi to 50 /x in diameter, and about 100 /x apart. Oscules as distinct from the 

 inhalant apertures could not be made out. 



