PANAMA SPONGES — DE LAUBENFELS 459 



Genus STRONGYLOPHORA Dendy 



STRONGYLOPHORA SANTA, new species 



Holotype.—U.S.l<i.M. no. 22244. 



This species is found growing intertidally on the shore near Fort 

 Randolph. The shape is amorphous, the color in life greenish black, 

 and the consistency between friable and stony. There is a distinct 

 special dermal structure present, overlying extensive subdermal cavi- 

 ties. The surface is comparatively smooth and even. There are 

 very few oscules, about 1 mm in diameter, not provided with collars 

 about them. The internal structure is subisodictyal, somewhat 

 resembling *'crumb-of -bread." There is an astonishingly large varia- 

 tion in the size of the flagellate chambers. They are subspherical and 

 range from only 18/u up to as much as 36m in diameter. Throughout 

 the basal reticulation there is another one of fibers containing much 

 spongin and only a few rows of spicules, say three or four. This 

 fiber is about 40m in diameter. The spicules are of two sorts. The 

 most abundant kind is a strongyle usually 17ai by 250/x, but varying 

 from at least as small as 12^ by 240)u to as large as 18m by 270m. The 

 second sort of spicule is an oxea 5m by 215m in ordinary size. 



The genotype of the genus Strongylophora is durissima, described 

 by Dendy (1905, p. 141) from Ceylon. It is much like the Panama- 

 nian sponge here described, except for paler color, crumpled external 

 shape, and much smaller microxea, which were very thin and only 

 28m long. The same general comparison may be made to all the 

 other species customarily referred to the genus Strongylophora; i. e., 

 their microscleres are a great deal smaller than those in santa. They 

 are all probably rather closely related to one another. 



Genus TEDANIA Gray 



TEDANIA IGNIS (Duchassaing and Michelotti) 



This species is represented in the collection by U.S.N.M. no. 22247. 

 It grows abundantly in shallow water in the vicinity of Fort Sherman, 

 the masses being frequently about the size of a man's fist. The color 

 in life is a brilliant red. The consistency is mediocre to spongy. The 

 surface is even, over low, wide tuberculate structures. There is a 

 definite special dermal membrane overlying extensive subdermal cavi- 

 ties. The oscules are about 5 mm in diameter and frequently have 

 oscular collars about them as much as 5 mm high or even more. The 

 general structure is somewhat cavernous. The special dermal spic- 

 ules are tylotes 4m by 230m. The endosomal spicules are styles 9m 

 by 300m, and the microscleres are the so-called onychaetes, roughened 

 rhapides, about 2m by 110m. 



This species was first described as Thalysias ignis by Duchassaing 

 and Michelotti (1864, p. 83). It is one of the most abundant and 



