PANAMA SPONGES — DE LAUBENFELS 461 



respect to it, and from them semiplumose bushes of spicular tracts 

 arise toward the surface, where they form tufts. The spicules at the 

 surface are considerably smaller than those farther down and are 

 polytylote tylostyles; i. e., they not only have the tylote swelling at 

 the blunt end, but several similar swellings interposed here and there 

 along the length of the spicule. Their size is about 2/x by 250^. 

 The endosomal spicules are smooth styles about 9m by 500/x or 600^. 

 There are two sorts of microscleres, each very abundant. One sort 

 is a toxa about SS/z long, and the other a palmate isochela only 10/u 

 long. 



Genus CLIONA Grant 



CLIONA CARIBBOEA Carter 



This species is represented in the collection by U.S.N.M. no. 22241. 

 It occurs boring into calcareous material (frequently dead coral) on 

 the beach at Fort Randolph and perhaps at other places in the Canal 

 Zone. Its color in life is yellow, and the consistency is cartilaguious. 

 The external structures are papillate bits of flesh that protrude here 

 and there from the calcareous material and that reach a size of slightly 

 over 1 mm in diameter and height. The apertures are slightly under 

 1 mm in diameter when fully opened, and they are found apically 

 situated on the papilles. Only one type of spicule was found in the 

 Panamanian specimens. This is a tylostyle about 14/i by 350/i. 



This species was described by Carter (1882, p. 346) from the West 

 Indies, of which it may be said to be very characteristic, unless it 

 should be decided that it is conspecific with the cosmopolitan species 

 Cliona celata Grant, to which it bears considerable resemblance. 



Genus SPIRASTRELLA Schmidt 



SPIRASTRELLA CUNCTATRIX Schmidt 



The specimen thus tentatively identified is represented in this col- 

 lection by U.S.N.M. no. 22226. It is a thin crust collected inter- 

 tidally at Fort Randolph. It was bright orange in life and cartilagi- 

 nous in consistency. The surface is even, and the spicules consist 

 exclusively of tylostyles varying in size from 7^ by 250m to 11m by 

 415m, associated with spirasters. These are at the most only 15m by 

 20m, and many are much smaller than this 



S. cundatrix was described by Schmidt (1868, p. 17). The present 

 specimen differs in many minor ways from the Mediterranean kind, 

 but it is not now deemed advisable on the basis of the quantity of 

 material present and in view of the slight differences, to estabhsh for 

 it a new species. 



