ART. 4 



SPONGES OF CALIFORNIA de LAUBENFELS 



39 



Ectosomal specialization ( ? ) . Endosomal structures : What was 

 collected was a mass of sand held together by some slimy material 

 having an odor like that of a keratose sponge, the only reason for 

 susj)ecting sponge nature. Microscopic study indicates there really 

 may be keratose sponge present, but not in condition to be described. 

 Here and there in between the masses of sand grains are little areas, 

 about 0.2 to 2 mm in greatest diameter, and very amorphous in out- 

 line, that are packed with calthrops and myriads of discasterlike 

 microscleres. No further details can be made out. 



Principal spicules, calthrops (fig. 17, B^ C^D) ', size of rays, 3/x, by 

 25/i to 10/x by 80/x ; one ray may be missing, leaving triods. The rays 

 are commonly 8/i by 65yu., but one or two are commonly longer than 

 the others. Microscleres, very abundant, discasters (?) or sani- 



fC:^CS>i 



FiGORB 17. — Dercitus syrmatitus de Laubenfels : A-O, X 300 ; 

 H, X 1,333 ; I-N, X 1,500 



dasters (fig. 17, H-N) ; length, 8/a to 12/*. Some are so irregularly 

 spiny as to resemble acanthomicrostrongyles, but most have two 

 decided nodes, and many resemble the spicule type termed by Dendy 

 (1921, p. 121) as discorhabd. 



Remarks. — The previously described species of Dercitus are often 

 regarded as all synonymous with the genotype, Dercitus hucklandi 

 McAndrew-Bowerbank, 1861 (about p. 235).- Its microscleres are 

 about three times as long as those of syrmatitus and lack the nodal 

 arrangement that makes those of the latter become discasters. Its 

 megascleres include oxeas, and its calthrops have ray dimensions 

 nearly four times those of syrmatitus., so that their mass must be 50 

 times as great. In fact, the California species seems to show close 



"The name 'bucklandi, first used (loc. cit.) as Halina hucklandi, may there be a nomen 

 nudem, in which case the name should date from Its use by Bowerbank, 1866, p. 226, aa 

 Hymeniacidon hucklandi. Dercitus was erected for it by Gray, 1867, p. 542. For the 

 synonymization referred to, see Topsent, 1894. 



