ART. 4 SPONGES OF CALIFORNIA DE LAUBENFELS 67 



in diameter; it was taken at a depth of about 50 meters, date not 

 recorded, in Monterey Bay, entangled on a fisherman's line. It is 

 represented by U.S.N.M. No. 21440 and B.M. No. 28.11.6.4. E. F. 

 Ricketts also collected a specimen from Monterey Bay, depth 800 

 meters, date not recorded. It is represented by U.S.N.M. No. 21470 

 and B.M. No. 29.8.22.12. 



Description. — Shape, stipitate, older specimens funnel-shaped. 

 Size, up to at least 100 cm high, 122 cm in diameter. Consistency, 

 between spongy and fragile. Color in life and when preserved, drab. 

 Oscules, irregular in size and shape, not definitely delineated, espe- 

 cially in the larger specimens. Pores, represented by even more 

 irregular openings. Surface, superficially very rough with depres- 

 sions sometimes 5 cm deep. 



Ectosomal specialization, a dermal membrane. It is fleshy, very 

 thin, and contains microscleres and a verv few megascleres. Endo- 



FiGUEE 35. — Mycale iellabellensia (Lambe), X300. Spicules 

 of Californian specimen (U.S.N.M. No. 21470 and B.M. 

 No. 29.8.22.12). Microscleres B, D, and E in front and 

 side views 



somal structure cavernous, traversed by spicular tracts which branch 

 but rarely anastomose. Principal, or ascending, fibers up to 1 mm 

 in diameter, cored by abundant styles. 



Principal spicules, styles (fig. 35, A) ; size, 12^ by 432/x to 13/a by 

 491ju,. First microscleres, palmate anisochelas (fig. 35, B) ; length, 

 70/x to 90/x, often in rosettes. Second microscleres, palmate ani- 

 sochelas (fig. 35, C) ; length, 32/a to 36ju,. Third microscleres, palmate 

 anisochelas (fig. 35, D) ; length, 22/^ to 27/x. Fourth microscleres, 

 palmate isochelas (fig. 35, E) ; length, about 2^. 



RemarTfs. — The large funnel-shaped Californian specimen (U. S. 

 N. M. No. 21440 and B. M. No. 28.11.6.4) agrees with Lambe's rather 

 closely; but Lambe recorded small sigmas (19ju, to 30/i,) ; whereas long 

 search has so far yielded only one doubtfully proper sigma in the 

 California specimen, and Lambe's was much smaller. I have also 

 another specimen still smaller, possibly a juvenile, collected at a 

 depth of about 800 meters in Monterey Bay by E. F. Ricketts. It is 



