THE SPONGES OF THE WEST-CENTRAL PACIFIC 237 



U.S.N.M. No. 22863, My No. M. 157, collected July 11, 1949, by diver near 

 the southeast corner of the lagoon near the church at Likiep Atoll. The 

 depth was 3 meters, and the substrate was dead coral. 



U.S.N.M. No. 22812, My No. N. 018, collected May 21, 1946, by J. P. E. 

 Morrison at Eniwetok Atoll from the flats behind the outer reef at the 

 east end of Jeiroru Islet in the east portion of the lagoon, opposite an 

 entrance to the lagoon. 



U.S.N.M. No. 22822, My No. N. 029, collected August 17, 1947, by F. M. 

 Bayer from the outer reef near Bikini Islet at Bikini Atoll. 



This species is massive but somewhat irregular in shape. No. M. 166 

 had, rising from it, one cylindrical flat-topped or truncated process, about 

 4 cm high and 2 or 3 cm in diameter. The largest of the specimens was No. 

 M. 434, which was 15 cm high and 12 by 20 cm in lateral dimensions. Much 

 larger specimens probably occur in the field. 



The exterior color in life, of the specimens from the Palaus and from 

 Ponape varied from brown to orange, with an endosome which was bright 

 lemon yellow in life. This latter, however, within 5 seconds after being cut, 

 turned blue black on the newly exposed surfaces. This blackness penetrated 

 hardly at all. Even after standing overnight, the depth reached by the blue 

 black color was scarcely thicker than that of a sheet of paper. Of the speci- 

 mens collected at Likiep, the endosome of No. M. 157 reacted exactly like the 

 endosome of the specimens from the more western islands, but the ectosome 

 was bright yellow. All the others from Likiep had a greenish tint throughout 

 the interior which may, however, be due to the presence of small quantities 



Text Figure No. 163. Spicules of Hezekia walkeri. A: Cladome of protriaene, X 182. 



B: Cladome of plagiotriaene, X 182. C: Cladome of anatriaene, X 182. D: Outer end 



(among cladomes) of oxea, X 182. E: Inner end of oxea of the rhabd of any sort of 



triaene, X 182. F: Microspined rod-like microscleres, X 782. 



