NOTES ON LENDENFELd's TYPES OF SPONGES — WHITELEGGE. 281 



The mesh is oval or elongate, and is from 0-2 to 0'3 mm. wide. 

 The main fibres consist of very dense bundles of oxeote spicules, 

 with a few large, and numerous small, styli ; the latter are gener- 

 ally disposed at right angles to the fibres, and project beyond 

 their limits ; they are especially abundant in the dermal skeleton, 

 and form rather dense, radiating tufts at the surface. There is 

 little or no obvious spongin investing the fibres. 



The spicules are as follows : — 



(a) Curved or straight oxea, tapering from the middle to acute 

 points; size 0-35 to 0-8 by 0-006 to 0-025. A few styli, equal to 

 the larger oxea, are present. 



(b) Small straight styli, with a well-rounded base and acute 

 apex; size 0-2 to 0-25 ram. by 0006 to 0007 mm. The latter 

 might probably be the " straight-pointed oxea ? about 0-02 mm. 

 long and 008 mm. thick " of the original description, but there 

 is a wide difference between 0*2 mm. and 0-02 mm. in length. 



The British Museum fragment from New Zealand is a mere 

 scrap, barely sufficient to afford a section ; the spicules are oxea 

 0'2 mm. by 0-01 mm., which is much larger than the original 

 dimensions given of the smaller kind. The spicules are uniform 

 in size ; there are no " smaller ones, densely packed, and scattered 

 more or less irregularly between the fibres, and also participating 

 in their formation." 



Renieea PANDiEA, Lendenfeld, sp. 



The type (No. 302) has been so cut up that its width or height 

 cannot be estimated, the thickness varies from 20 to 30 mm. It 

 agrees with the brief description of the outward form. The dermal 

 membrane is very minutely porous, but it "requires a lens to see 

 the indistinct, surface reticulation. 



The primary fibres are O'l mm. in diameter, and are separated 

 by spaces 0-2 to 0-5 mm. wide. In some parts they are quite 

 distinct, in others consisting of diffused longitudinal bands of 

 spicules, which occasionally present two or three lines of concen- 

 tration, and they are here and there connected by rarely distinct 

 secondary fibres. The mesh is extremely irregular and generally 

 obscured by deposits of numerous scattered spicules. 



The spicules consist of straight or but little curved oxea ; they 

 are mostly cylindrical to within one or two diameters of the 

 extremities, and from thence suddenly taper to acute points ; size 

 0-18 to 0-2 mm. by 0006 to 0008 mm. Numerous rhaphides 

 012 mm. in length and 0015 mm, in thickness, occur throughout 

 the sponge, either scattered or in bundles. I failed to find any 

 " styli " either in situ or by boiling a portion of the sponge. 



The above spicular characters are those of a Bhaphisia, to which 

 genus I propose to remove the species. 



