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PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM 



VOL. 81 



Remarks. — This species clearly fits Pa'pyrula^ which differs from 

 Penares only in the lack of the astrose microscleres. Three species 

 previously described may be recognized as belonging here : Papyrula 

 caivdAdata O. Schmidt, 1868, from the Mediterranean ; P. hilgendorfi 

 Thiele, 1898, from Japan; and P. sphaera Lendenfeld, 1907, from 

 south of the Cape of Good Hope. Add P. saccharls and one has four 

 species whose descriptions permit of no sharp contrasts. I do not 

 believe them synonymous, however; rather I should hazard a guess 

 that all four are juveniles of other species, probably belonging to 

 Penares^ and in this case Papyrmla Schmidt, 1868, would fall as 



sjaionym of Penares 



Gray, 1867. For the 

 present I hold with 

 Wilson (1925,p.286) 

 in retaining Papy- 

 rula provisionally. 

 As for the possibility 

 (which I wish to 

 stress) i\\?it saccharis 

 may prove to be a 

 synonym of Penares 

 coy^tius, I shall make 

 the following com- 

 parisons: They dif- 

 fer greatly in color ; 

 noticeably but probably not fundamentally, in surface structure ; and 

 further in spiculation. P. saccliarls lacks the asters, has only rare 

 tetraxon spicules, lacks the twice-bent modification of the microdiac- 

 tine, and has it oxeote rather than strongylote. On the other hand, 

 in view of the closeness in geographical location, one must stress the 

 great similarity of the megascleres of the two species, the general 

 agreement in cortical structure, and the known fact that certain 

 microscleres may be missing at times although quite characteristic 

 of a species. 



Genus DERCITUS J. E. Gray 



DERCITUS SYRMATITUS de Laubonfcls 



Dercitus syrmaiitus de Laubenfels, 1930, p. 2G. 



Holotype.—V.^.'^M. No. 21438; B.M. No. 29.8.22.20. 



Type locality. — Laguna Beach, Calif., March 26, 1929, intertidal. 

 Collected by me, one specimen or group of specimens. Habitat is 

 given more in detail under description of endosomal structure. 



Description. — Shape, amorphous. Size, see notes below. Consist- 

 ency, mediocre. Color in life and when preserved, drab. Oscules 

 and pores, not evident. Surface, superficially smooth. 



G 



Figure 16. — Papyrula saccharis de Laubenfels, X 80. Mi- 

 croscleres (microxeas) clustered about A; B-D, dicho- 

 triaenos ; E-0, oxeas 



