REPORT ON THE MONAXONIDA. 175 



There is in the British Museum a single dried specimen ' which in its delicate 

 appearance comes nearer to the present species, but still ought prol)al:>ly to be regarded 

 as a variety of Ciocalypta penicillus ; indeed a careful examination of the types has 

 convinced us that it is so. Mr. Carter' refers to it as follows : — " In the British Museum, 

 among the sj^ecimens dredged up on Ijoard the ' Noma ' on the coast of Portugal, is a 

 sponge of a similar conical form, also grouped, but with a tuberculated surface, each 

 tubercle of which is supported on a bundle of spicules that radiate from a solid, conical, 

 central axis. Here, however, there is only one kind of spicule, viz., acuate, smooth, and 

 sharp pointed ; so that it does not belong to the Ectyonida, liut, belonging to the 

 Axinellida, might be called ' Ciocalypta (Bk.) tiiberculata,' seeing that, like other 

 species of this group al:)out to be mentioned, it will probably have to come under the 

 order Echinonemata." The tuberculated appearance here noticed is caused merely by 

 the sinking in of the dermal membrane between the supporting columns on drying, and 

 is quite as prominent a feature in the dried specimens of Ciocalypta p)enicillus. 



Locality.— Station 320, February 14, 1876 ; lat 37° 17' S., long. 53° 52' W.; off the 

 mouth of the Rio de la Plata ; depth, 600 fathoms ; bottom, green sand ; bottom 

 temperature, 37°'2. Four pieces. 



Ciocalypta amorphosa, Ridley and Dendy (PI. XL. fig. 9). 



1886. Ciocalypta amorphosa, Ridley and Dendy, Ann. and Mag. Nat. Hist., ser. 5, vol. xviii. 



p. 479. 



Sponge massive, amorphous ; forming shapeless, rounded masses, the largest of which 

 is about 75 mm. long by 50 mm. broad and 38 mm. thick. Colour in spirit grey. 

 Texture very spongy, fibrous, honeycombed ; resembling that of a common bath sponge 

 which has been prepared for use, l^ut not nearly so tough. Surface, in the present 

 condition of the sponge extremely rough and shaggy, beset with numerous fibrous 

 tufts which, in the perfect condition, sup^^ort a very delicate dermal membrane 

 continuously stretched over them at some little distance from the main mass of the 

 sponge. Dermal membrane very thin, delicate and transparent ; only portions of it 

 remain, supported on the outspread ends of the fibrous tufts above mentioned. Oscula (?). 

 Pores extremely numerous, round or oval openings, scattered through the dermal 

 membrane, variable in size. 



Skeleton. — The main skeleton is a very loose, confused, vaguely fibrous reticulation of 

 very long oxeote and stylote spicules; this skeletal arrangement obtains in the trabeculse 

 of tissue between the numerous wide canals of the sponge. At the surface are given off 

 from the main mass loosely fibrous columns of spicules which spread out at their distal 



' Registered 72.5.4.1. 



- Ann. and May. Nat. Hid., ser. 4, vol. xviii. p. 235. 



