92 PEOCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM vol. 81 



Remarks. — The nearest relative of this form seems to be Aiiaata 

 spongigartina from the same locality, which differs in having a sec- 

 ond (larger) size range of chelas, and much larger megascleres. 

 A. hrepha also fails to show the very peculiar apertures of sponglgar- 

 tina, perhaps because of its exceedingly thin size. Various conjec- 

 tures naturally arise. Is this but an immature form of spongigar- 

 tinaf Monaxon sponges are not known to show pronounced in- 

 crease in spicule size with age. Are the differences due to some such 

 ecological item as food, for example? We absolutely do not know, 

 and consequently, in view of the very distinct differences, I make a 

 new species for this, particularly because of the distinct difference 

 in chela shape between the two forms, a difference seldom seen within 

 a species. 



Family EURYPONIDAE Topsent 

 Genus EURYPON J. E. Gray 



EURYPON ASODES de Laubenfels 



Enrypon asodes dk Laubenfels, 1930, \k 27. 



HoloMjpe.—V.S.^M. No. 21442 ; B.M. 29.8.22.29. 



Type locality. — Pescadero Point, near Carmel, Calif., intertidal, 

 May 11, 1929, collected by me. 



Description. — Shape, encrusting. Size, 0.2 to 0.5 mm thick; 

 the incrustation in the field covered a space about the size of a hand, 

 but the largest specimens obtainable were about 1 cm in diameter. 

 Color in life, rich j^ellow; preserved, pale drab. Oscules, puncti- 

 form, diameter about lOOju., abundant. Pores, not evident, or con- 

 fused with the oscules. Surface superficially smooth, slimy. 



Ectosomal specialization, vague. Endosomal structure, there is a 

 basal layer of what seems to be spongin, in which are embedded, 

 Hy77iedesmia-like, the heads of acanthostyles of two sorts. There 

 are larger, less spiny ones, and shorter more spiny ones. Free in 

 among the protoplasmic structures are very numerous long straight 

 smooth tylostyles and abundant microscleres. 



Principal spicules, acanthostyles (fig. 54, B) ; size, 8ju. by 100/^ to 

 13)U by 345/i. Interstitial spicules, tylostyles (fig. 54, A) ; size, 3/u, by 

 180/^ to 4)u, by 250^. Microscleres, palmate isochelas (fig. 54, C-K) ; 

 length, 3;u, to 13/x. 



Remarks. — The nearest relatives of asodes seem to be Eurypon 

 microcliela Stephens (1916, p. 240), where stress is laid upon the 

 chelas being as small as 8/t. E. microcliela is from about 1,000 meters 

 depth off the coast of Ireland. Its megascleres are more than twice 

 the size of those of asodes, in addition to the difference in micro- 

 scleres. Another species worthy of mention here is Thiele's Micro- 



