REPORT ON THE MONAXONIDA. 191 



Raspailia (?) riyida, Eidley and Deudy (PL XXXIX. Jig. 3). 



1886. Raspailia (?) rigida, Ridley and Dendy, Ann. and Mag. Nat. Hist., ser. .5, vol. xviii. p. 483. 



Sponge (PL XXXIX. fig. 3) commencing as a slender stem only 2"5 mm. in diameter 

 and gradually expanding upwards, without any sudden break, to a diameter of a little 

 over 4 mm.; approximately straight; giving off one short, stout, abnormal-looking 

 branch. Height of specimen 121 mm. Colour in spirit yellowish -grey. Texture firm, 

 tough ; the sponge is subrigid, not very elastic nor flexible ; the difference in this respect 

 between Raspailia jiagelliformis, nobis, and the present species being due to the absence 

 in the latter of a stout, dense, horny axis. Surface very distinctly hispid. 



Skeleton. — There is a dense central axis of closely packed, stout, tylostylote or sub- 

 tylostylote spicules, arranged longitudinally and parallel with one another, and with their 

 apices directed upwards. From this axis radiate towards the surface rather sparse bands 

 composed of similar spicules, terminating in great divergent brushes, which are again 

 composed of the same kind of spicule (and also of some of larger .size) with little more 

 than their bases embedded in the soft tissues and projecting for a long way beyond the 

 surface. There appears to be little or no horny matter present in any part of the 

 skeleton. 



Spicules. — Megasclera ; of one kind only, viz., large, straight, smooth tylostyli or sub- 

 tylostyli, very finely and gradually pointed and usually with distinct, subglobular heads ; 

 size variable, up to about 2'0 by 0'025 mm.; usually smaller, especially in the dermal 

 brushes, whose component spicules commonly measure up to about 1 '0 mm. in length. 



The spicules of this species are extremely large for the genus to which it is referred. 

 The peculiarities of its external characters have been already noticed. It is doubtful 

 whether it is a Raspailia at all, or even an Axinellid ; it presents strong resemblances to 

 the crenus Suherites. 



Zoco%.— Station 142, December 18, 1873; lat. 35° 4' S., long. 18° 37' E.; 

 Agulhas Bank, Cape of Good Hope; depth, 150 fathoms; bottom, green sand; bottom 

 temperature, 47°'0. One specimen. 



Genus Dendropsis,' Ridley and Dendy (Pis. XXXVIIL, XL., XLVL). 



1886. Dendropsis, Ridley and Dendy, Ann. and Mag. Nat. Hist., ser. .5, vol. xviii. p. 483. 



Sponge erect, ramose. Skeleton arrangement iPaspcn^m-like ; megasclera stylote (one 

 form of which may be characterised by the presence of two sharp spikes projecting from 

 the base). Microsclera present in the form of minute spined oxea. 



We have only a single species of this remarkable genus, but the characters are such 

 as to separate it widely from all existing genera. Notwithstanding the presence of the 

 minute spined oxea we are disposed to place the genus amongst the Axinellidse, for the 



' So called because of the resemljlance which the type species bears to a small tree. 



