366 LIVERPOOL MARINE BIOLOGY COMMITTEE REPORT. 



branched granular corpuscles (PL X, fig. 3, 4). The chambers 

 themselves are lined by cubical granular nucleated endoderm, 

 each cell having the characteristic collar and cilium (see 

 PI. X, fig. 4). In the syncytium, externally, internally, and 

 between the chambers, the spicules are placed. These are 

 of four different forms. Inserted between the chambers, as 

 a rule, are long club-shaped spicules, the pointed ends 

 plunged into the syncytium, while the clubbed heads are 

 free and extend for some distance beyond the surface of the 

 body (PL X, fig. 3). In addition to these spicules, there are 

 also a large number of the ordinary triradiate type, some 

 large and T-shaped, others much smaller, and having their 

 rays diverging at equal angles to each other (PL X, fig. 5). 

 Amongst these are short needle-shaped spicules, lying irre- 

 gularly in the syncytium ; these might, however, be the 

 broken ends of the club-shaped forms. 



None of the species described by Haeckel * seems to agree 

 with this form, nor have I been able to place it under any of 

 the species described by more recent authors. The club- 

 shaped spicules, which were generally in pairs, lying close 

 together, seem to be characteristic, and it is probably new to 

 science. 



The specific diagnosis is as follows : — 



Sycandra aspera, n. sp. (PL X, figs. 1-7). 



Shape. — Elongated and fusiform, attached by one end. 



Size. — 8 mm. long, and from 1 to 3*5 mm. in breadth. 



Spicules. — Four different forms — large and small tri- 

 radiates, short straight spicules, and large club- 

 shaped spicules, whose bent blunt ends extend 

 outwards beyond the surface of the body. 



Locality. — Off the south end of the Isle of Man, depth 

 fifteen fathoms. 



* Die Kalkschwdmme, 3872 



