92 REOOEDS OF THE AUSTRALIAN MUSEUM. 



to 0-12 by 0-008 to O'Ol mm. (c) Curved spined styli. Size— 

 008 to 0-1 by 0-006 mm. 



Microscleres — Small tridentate isochelas. Size — 0-012 to 0-016 

 mm. 



In addition to the many examples from the coast, there are 

 several well preserved specimens in the collection, presented by 

 the late J. B. Wilson, from Port Phillip. 



Raspailia, Nardo. 



Raspailia atropurpurea, Carter, sp. 



Axinella atropurpurea, Carter, Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist., (5), xvi., 



1885, p. 359. 

 Raspailia atropurpurea, Dendy, Proc. Roy. Soc. Vict., (n.s.), viii., 

 1896, p. 47. 

 One specimen obtained at Port Stephens. Although water-worn 

 it still retains its dark purple colour in the protected parts. The 

 tips and sides of some of the branches are grayish-purple. 



Height of example, 45 mm., breadth 80 mm., thickness about 

 25 mm., diameter of branches 5 mm. 



Raspailia bipurcata, Ridley. 

 Raspailia hifurcata, Ridley, Zool. Coll. "Alert," 1884, p. 459, pi. 

 xl., %■ i- ; pl- xlii., figs. II. 



The example is much branched, and measures 75 mm. in height, 

 80 mm. in the shorter, and 100 mm. in the longer diameter; the 

 cylindrical branches are about 5 mm. in diameter ; a few branches 

 are flattened and twice as broad as thick. The smooth oxea and 

 styli are variable in size, the majority are rather less than in the 

 "Alert" example. The spined styli are also somewhat shorter, 

 and rarely exceed 0-08 mm. in length. The specimen is slightly 

 water-worn, but still retains its purple colour. 



A single specimen is present in the collection from Tuggerah 



BG£LCn 



Family AXINELLID^. 



Axinella, Schmidt. 



Axinella aurantiaca, Lendenfeld. 



Axinella aurantiaca, Lendenfeld, Aust. Mus. Cat., xiii., Sponges, 

 1888, p. 235, pi. v., fig. 1. 



The types (No. 244 dry, and No. 245 in spirit from which the 

 photograph was taken for the illustration) have been subjected to a 

 careful examination, and also other specimens from Lake lUawarra. 



I find that the spicules do not agree with the original descrip- 

 tion. The skeleton is stated to "consist of dense network of 

 slightly curved styli." In the skeleton of the figured type, the 

 fibres are composed of slightly curved oxea, more or less bound 

 together by long sinuous strongyla, which are usually disposed at 

 right angles to the columns of oxeote spicules in the main fibres. 



