REVISION OF FRESHWATER SPONGES OF SPONGILLIDAE 41 



Annandale and S. navicella Carter. The former, although present 

 in our material, did not reveal any additional criteria for discussion, 

 and its retention within this genus remains problematic. Material of 

 the latter could not yet be secured, and even the recent accounts of 

 S. navicella by Bonetto and Ezcurra (1962) fail to substantiate the 

 assumption of a number of previous authors that this species too 

 should be placed into the genus discussed. 



Stratospongilla bombayensis (Carter, 1882) 



Spongilla bombayensis Carter, 1882, p. 369. — Potts, 1887, p. 196. — Weltner, 

 1895, p. 114; 1913, p. 475.— Annandale, 1907c, p. 26; 1909e, p. 561; 1911c, 

 p. 102; 1912d, p. 384; 1918a, p. 212.— Stephens, 1919, p. 99.— Arndt, 1936, 

 p. 14.— Penney, 1960, p. 13, 



Spongilla {Stratospongilla) bombayensis Annandale, 1911b, p. 225; 1912c, p. 138; 

 1914, p. 246.— Gee, 1931e, p. 34; 1932c, p. 36. 



Spongilla bombayensis var. pneumntica Annandale, 1911c, p. 241; 1918a, p. 212. — 

 Gee, 1931e, p. 46; 1932c, p. 36.— Pennej^ 1960, p. 14. 



Material. — Slides of types (IM, BM) and syntypes (AmstM). 



Description. — Sponge forming comparatively thin layers on solid 

 objects; surface irregular, oscula inconspicuous, dermal membrane 

 closely adhering to symplasm. Skeleton, omng to the large number 

 of spicules, compact but incoherent and almost amorphous (Annan- 

 dale, 1909e); vertical spicule fibers present in places, but almost 

 devoid of joining spongin. Consistency of live sponge moderately hard 

 but brittle. 



Megascleres straight or feebly curved, slender and comparatively 

 short amphioxea, rarely entirely smooth, usually covered with an 

 irregular arrangement of small spines, occasionally roughened; length 

 range 220-300 n, width range 12-17 p.. 



Microscleres slender and short, sharply pointed amphioxea, feebly 

 curved or straight, entirely microspined; rare in inner symplasm, 

 almost entirely restricted to dermal membrane and the vicinity of 

 gemmules; length range 45-60 p, width range 3-4 p. 



Gemmoscleres rather stout and short amphistrongyla to abruptly 

 pointed amphioxea, usually only slightly curved, and entirely gran- 

 ulated; length range 35-67 p, width range 6-8 p, very variable in 

 proportions. 



Gemmules variable in size, spherical or ovoid, usually distinctlj^ 

 flattened at base; pneumatic layer ill-defined but often thick in 

 places, air spaces not discernible; outer gemmuiar membrane in 

 close contact with the support causes the gemmules to adhere firmly; 

 gemmoscleres embedded in this coat usually in two layers, separated 

 by an empty space, the lower in contact wdth the inner gemmuiar 

 membrane; the outer, often several spicules thick, fastened together 

 in the outer membrane in which dark granules are usually also present; 



