STAUROCALYPTDS TUBULOSÜS. 175 



tnft. Terminal disc, pinhead-like or marginally toothed. Central 

 node, generally without hillock -like prominences on its six sides. 



3Jicrodiscohexasters, common especially in or near the dermal 

 and gastral layers; spherical; about 20/' in diameter. 



The points to be especially noted in the spiculation of this 

 species, in relation to that of others that very closely resemble 

 it, seem to be the slenderness of principal parenchymal diactins, 

 the small-size of prostal pentactins and the fact that the discoct- 

 asters do not fall l)olo\v 200 !'■ in diameter. 



STAUROCALYPTUS TUBULOSÜS nov. sp. 

 Contrib. Ill (Ijima, '03), PI. VI., figs. 11-17. 



This is a species which, like certain others of the genus, is 

 but little differentiated from S. dowlingi of the N. American 

 Pacific coast and yet seems to deserve being erected into a distinct 

 species. The only type-specimen of the species is shown in my 

 Contrib. III., PI. YL, fig. 11. The original (S. C. M. No. 241) 

 was obtained in Homba from a depth of ö72 m. 



The specimen is a nearly complete individual of a slightly 

 l)ent, tubular and spindle-like shape, 50 mm. long and 12-14 mm. 

 broad at the middle, where the wall is about 2? mm. thick. The 

 body is somewhat laterally compressed. The oval osculum at the 

 superior truncated end measures 4 mm. by 8 mm. in diameter. 

 The inferior portion of the sponge gradually narrows towards the 

 pointed torn-off base. The texture of the wall-tissue is rather 

 firm. 



