ART. 4 SPONGES OF CALIFOEN"IA DE LAUBENFELS 107 



Acarnm erithacus shows a variability that will be discussed with 

 reference to the list given above of the nine specimens studied. These 

 display the following range of variation : 



All were brilliant scarlet in life, as far as known, except No. 9, 

 from very deep water. It was drab in life. 



All had very similar consistency except No. 3. This consisted of 

 several handfuls of separate sponges, all rather soft and compressible- 

 No. 7 was crowded w'ith brilliant-red embryos about 150/x to 350^ 

 in diameter. The tissue around them was somewhat paler than nor- 

 mal so that they showed distinctly. 



Nos. 1, 7, and 8 lack the " palm tree " sort of spicule entirely. This 

 is of great importance as to possible bearing upon value of spicula- 

 tion in taxonomy, and this species will bear careful study in the 

 years to come. It may be noted that Nos. 4, 5, 6, and 9 were known 

 to be collected during summer months, and all had the " palm trees." 

 Nos. 3, 7, and 8 were known to be collected during winter months, 

 and of them only No. 3 had this sort of spicule, and it came from a 

 water temperature that is decidedly high for the coast of California ; 

 furthermore it very definitely is not in breeding condition, and No. 

 7 certainly was, and No. 8 possibly so. Can it be that the " palm 

 trees " are lost in connection with the breeding season and that the 

 temperature has some connection with the time of reproduction? 

 Pending much further investigation this is but surmise. 



The great similarity between No. 9, from the very considerable 

 depth of 700 meters, and the other specimens, from intertidal or 

 very shallow water, is quite interesting. Linearly, the point of col- 

 lection was but about 10 kilometers from the localities for Nos. 

 4 and 8. 



Family RASPAILIIDAE Hentschel 



Genus HEMECTYON Topsent 



HEMECTYON HYLE de Laubenfels 



Hemectyon Jiyle Dp: Laubenfels, 1930, p. 28. 



Holofype,—\J.S.'NM. No. 21418 ; B.M. No. 29.9.30.4. 



Type locality. — The one specimen was collected by the University 

 of Southern California on February 16, 1924, at Point Fermin, near 

 San Pedro, Calif. 



Description. — Shape, frondose. Size, 28 mm high, 20 mm in diam- 

 eter. Consistency, between spongy and cartilaginous. Color in alco- 

 hol, pale drab. Oscules and pores, not evident. Surface, superficially 

 smooth. 



Ectosomal specialization, a dermal membrane about 75/x thick; it 

 contains .scattered dark cells or foreign bodies. Endosomal structure, 

 divided sharply in two portions, an axial region and a peripheral 



