ART. 4 SPONGES OF CALIFOENIA de LAUBENFELS 63^ 



Guitarra Carter (1874, p. 210), type species G. fimhrmfa. The 

 microscleres are very peculiar and distinctive, and therefore one 

 can hardly believe that this is closely related to the others here 

 mentioned. This is very provocative of thought in view of the im- 

 possibility of sharply separating it were it to lose its microscleres a& 

 individuals probably do. 



Dyscliona Kirkpatrick (1900, p. 352), type species D. davidi^ a 

 boring sponge with very peculiar microscleres; this is another rea- 

 son for doubting that similarity of megascleres indicates close re- 

 lationship in absence of other bonds of unity. 



Strongylacidon von Lendenfeld (1897, p. 110), type species S. 

 sansiharense. This has anisochelas as microscleres. 



Strongylamma Hallmann (1917, p. 643), type species S. carteri. 

 This had two sizes of spiny microrhabds and contained much sand. 



Strongylophora Dendy (1905, p. 141), type species S. durissima. 

 This had smooth microrhabds, often bent, and was stony hard. 



Although far from certain, it is quite possible that one of or all 

 these last three are congeneric with Prianos. The structures are 

 such that all may be considered much more closely related to Prianos 

 than that genus or any of them is to Reniera. The same should be 

 said of Petrosia and Lioslna. It should be kept in mind that, of all 

 these, Prianos (1867) has the priority. 



Order POECILOSCLERINA Topsent 



Family DESMACIDONIDAE Gray 

 Genus BIEMNA J. E. Gray 



BIGMNA RHADIA de Lanbenfels 



Bietnna rhadia de Laubenfels, 1930, p. 26. 



Holotypc— V.S.N M. No. 21507 ; B.M. No. 29.9.30.17. 



Type locality. — The one specimen was collected by E. F. Ricketts 

 in 1925 from jNIonterey Bay, Calif., depth 700 meters; it was lodged 

 in a recess of a macerated dictyonine hexactinellid sponge skeleton. 



Description. — Shape, amorphous. Size, 7 mm high. 12 mm in di- 

 ameter. Consistency, stiffly fragile. Color dry, drab. Oscules and 

 pores, not evident, because of cavernous structure. Surface, super- 

 ficially very cavernous. 



Ectosomal specialization, a dermal membrane about Ibfx thick; 

 detachable, fleshy, containing microscleres but not megascleres. En- 

 dosomal structure, " crumb-of-bread,*' with stiff, ascending, branch- 

 ing tracts. Principal, or ascending, tracts about 400/a in diameter^ 

 cored by densely packed styles. There seems to be little or no spongin 

 jiresent. 



