THE SPONGES OF THE WEST-CENTRAL PACIFIC 243 



to Cinachyra by Burton, 1934, page 523. It is set off from porosa by the 

 thinner and less contort microscleres. Carter described it from Australia, and 

 it is especially common throughout that and the East Indian region. 



GENUS CRANIELLA Schmidt 

 Craniella abracadabra, new 



Text Figure No. 167 

 Plate XII, Figure a 



This species is here represented by the following : 

 U.S.N.M. No. 23044, My No. M. 423, here designated as type, collected 

 August 1, 1949, by diver in east Ponape (Matalanim) from a reef in the 

 lagoon near an entrance to the lagoon. The depth was 5 meters, and the 

 specimen was not attached. It was loose or free from attachment in life. 



Text Figure No. 167. Spicules of 

 Craniella abracadabra, X 782. A: 

 Termination of an oxea. B: Cla- 

 dome of a protriaene. C: Sigmoid 

 microsclere. 



This is a spherical sponge, having a central mass 3 cm in diameter. 

 Because of the great projections, the total sponge is 6 cm in diameter. 



The color in life was dark drab on the exterior and paler and more 

 yellowish drab in the interior. The consistency of the central portion was 

 rather cartilaginous, but the conspicuous projections were very flexible. 



The surface is completely covered by relatively enormous processes, only 

 3 mm apart. Each is 1 to 2 mm in diameter and 12 to 20 mm long or high. 



The pores were all closed and could not be made out. Only a single 

 oscule could be found. It was near the upper surface of the sponge and was 

 3 mm in diameter. 



The ectosome is entirely fleshy, practically devoid of spicules. Its thick- 

 ness is about 1 mm but is difficult to measure, because it blends into the endo- 

 some. The latter is extremely radiate, marked by fascicular columns of many 

 scores of spicules per cross section. The tract diameter is nearly 1 mm. These 

 columns or tracts continue from their radiate placement from within the 

 centrum, on out into the projections. Each of the latter contains one spicular 

 tract. There are practically no spicules at all in the fleshy regions between 

 these fascicular columns. 



The skeleton comprises oxeas, 3 jx by 2000 /a to 30 aa by 6000 aa or more. 

 There are also some protriaenes with clads, 5 aa by 20 aa, and rhabds, 5 At by 

 1000 [x, more or less. The microscleres are simple sigmaspires, very little 

 contorted, 12 aa in chord length. The spination on them is so fine that even 

 with high power they appear smooth. 



