FRESH-WATER SPONGES IX THE COLLECTION OF THE 

 EXITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM. PART III. DE- 

 SCRIPTION OF A NEW SPECIES OF SPONGILLA FROM 

 CHINA. 



By Nelson Annandale, 



Superintendent of the Indian Museum, Calcutta. 



Among the specimens of fresh-water sponges that the authorities 

 of the U. S. National Museum have been kind enough to send me for 

 examination recently there are several small fragments labeled 

 " Found on rocks in the canal. From N. (list (ie<>, Su-chau [southern 

 Kiang Su, near Shanghai], China." So far as T am aware, no fresh- 

 water sponge has as yet been described from China, although I have 

 recently received specimens, unfortunately not determinable, from 

 Mr. J. Coggin Brown, of the Geological Survey of India, who col- 

 lected them in Lake Tali Fu in Yunnan. The specimens from 

 Su-chau apparently represent a new species of the genus Spongilla 

 and the subgenus Stratospongilla, which is here described as— 



SPONGILLA (STRATOSPONGILLA) SINENSIS, new species. 



Sponge consisting of a flat layer some 4 mm. thick, with short 

 cylindrical upright branches; its color (dry) dirty white; the oscula 

 small but clearly defined. 



Skeleton compact, reticulate but not very coherent, little spongin 

 being present; the meshes tending to be polygonal, but neither the 

 radiating nor the transverse libers very clearly denned. 



Spicules smooth, slender, short, somewhat abruptly pointed; the 1 

 gemmule spicules resembling the skeleton spicules except in their 

 smaller size. No flesh spicules. 



Gemmules numerous, small, massed together at the base of the 

 sponge, each with a thick outer chitinous coat full of dark granules; 

 the gemmule spicules lying in this coat parallel or nearly parallel to 

 the inner wall of the gemmule. No foramina] tubule. 



mm. 

 Length nl' skeleton spicules 0- 1 7 10 (I. 2160 



Greatest diameter of skeleton spicules 0. 0103-0. oil.'") 



Length of gemmule spicules 0. 0750 0. on Hi 



(i rent est diameter of gemmule spicules 0. 0052-0. 0083 



This sponge appears to be allied to S. aspinosa Potts, from which 

 it differs in its compact structure and hick of flesh spicules. 

 Type-specimen. Cat. No. 8266, C.S.X.M. 



Proceedings U. S. National Museum Vol. 38— No. 1737. 



is:; 



