84 RECORDS OF THE AUSTRALIAN MUSEUM. 



mostly free, and exhibit dichotomous branching. Surface even, 

 rather harsh to the touch, with a minutely reticulated dermal 

 membrane. Oscula scattered over the surface or confined to the 

 margin of the free branches, about 1 mm. or less in diameter. 

 Texture very fine, dense, and tough; in the lower parts of almost 

 stony hardness; the upper portions are scarcely compressible 

 between the fingers. The tips of some of the washed out branches 

 are compressible, and highly elastic. Colour sandy yellow. 



The skeleton consists of a close rectangularly meshed network 

 of strongly developed horny fibre. The main fibres are about 

 04 mm in thickness ; they are centrally cored with a thread of 

 smooth styli, 001 mm. or loss in diameter. The fibres and the 

 ground substance contain numerous smooth and spined styli, the 

 latter also echinate the fibres and are present in considerable 

 numbers. The axial core of smooth styli is well defined in the 

 secondary connecting fibres, and also in the dermal reticulation ; 

 the latter consists of a fine square meshed network of densely 

 spiculous fibres, with little obvious spongin ; the mesh is about 

 0'2 mm. in diameter. The ends of the main fibres project slightly 

 through the dermis, and are ensheathed with closely placed spined 

 styli. 



Megascleres — (a) Smooth styli, slightly curved at their basal 

 third, a little tapering to within about one or two diameters of 

 the extremity, thence abruptly tapering to a not very acute point. 

 Size— 0-08 to 001 by 0-004 mm. (b) Spined styli of nearly uni- 

 form diameter to within a short distance of the apex, moderately 

 beset with short recurved spines. Size — 004 to005 by 0-005 mm. 



Microscleres — Abundant isochelse, 0-014 mm. in length. 



Four specimens from Tuggerah Beach, 



Clatiiria australiensis, Carter', sp. 

 (Plate xi., fig. 12). 



WiJsonella australiensis, Carter, Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist., (5), xiv., 



1885, p. 366. 

 Clathriopsamma lobosa, Lendenfeld, Aust. Mus. Cat. xiii., Sponges, 



1888, p. 227. 

 Thorecta ramsayii, Lendenfeld, Aust. Mus. Cat. xiii., Sponges, 1888, 



p. 142. 

 Glathria australiensis, Dendy, Proc. Roy. Soc. Vict., (n.s.), viii., 



1896, p. 33. 



This common species ranges from digitate to flabellate, or even 

 incrustating or lobate. A specimen from Port Phillip consists of 

 two flabellate lamelhe, about as high as broad, and more or less 

 connected by vertical lamellae within, and having on the outer 

 aspect a series of low ridges or lamellate lobes about half the size 

 of the lamellae from which they originate. Examples from the 



