54 U.S. NATIONAL MUSEUM BULLETIN 272 



Corvospongilla burmanica (Kirkpatrick, 1908) 



Spongilla loricata var. burmanica Kirkpatrick, 1908, p. 97. 



Corvospongilla burmanica Annandale, 1911c, p. 123; 1918a, p. 213. — Stephens, 



1919, p. 98.— Gee, 1931e, p. 34; 1932c, p. 27.— Penney, 1960, p. 36. 

 Corvospongilla burmanica var. bombayensis Annandale, 1911b, p. 225; 19l2d, p. 



384; 1918a, p. 213.— Gee, 1931e, p. 34; 1932c, p. 27.— Penney, 1960, p. 36. 



Material.— Slide of type of var. bombayensis (IM) . 



Description. — Sponge, according to original descriptions, forming 

 fiat crusts of often considerable dimensions on solid supports; surface 

 coarsely hispid due to projection of skeletal fibers; oscula usually 

 elevated on turret-like eminences, or similar projections of irregular 

 shape. Skeleton consisting of well-defined spicule fibers, reticulate, 

 but with only little spongin. Consistency of live sponge hard but 

 brittle. 



Megascleres large, feebly curved, and entirely smooth amphi- 

 strongyla, often inflated at their extremities; length range 220-235 ix, 

 width almost constantly 20 n. 



Microscleres represented by microbirotulates with only slightly 

 curved smooth shafts, and terminally with a smaller number of 

 recurved hooks of medium size; average length 30 /x, diameter of 

 rotide 6-12 /x. 



Gemmoscleres slightly to strongly curved amphistrongyla, rela- 

 tively short and stout, covered with minute spinules or tubercles, 

 and of greatly varying dimensions; length range 38-56 ju, width range 

 7-8 fjL. 



Gemmules not very abundant, rather large (800 /j) and subspherical ; 

 as a ride singly adhering to support, but sometimes also free in inner 

 symplasm; pneumatic layer in adhering gemmides feebly developed, 

 the gemmules surrounded by locidi of megascleres; in free gemmules 

 a well-developed pneumatic coat; gemmoscleres forming a concentric 

 layer or layers on inner gemmular membrane; foramen produced into 

 a short cylindrical porus tube. 



Distribution. — Ranging from Burma (type locality) to India. 



Color in life. — Not yet reliably recorded; dry sponge pale brown. 



Discussion. — Since Kirkpatrick (1908) considered this form of 

 sponge a mere variety of C. loricata, its elevation to separate specific 

 status by Annandale (1911c) and all subsequent authors seems diffi- 

 cult to understand. Although O. loricata must still be considered an 

 ill-known species, most of the characteristics of C. burmanica appear 

 very similar to, if not identical with, those of the genotype. However, 

 a direct comparison of C. burmanica with C. loricata during the present 

 study was impossible since the former is represented in our material 

 only by the varietal form C. burmanica bombayensis, and the latter 

 by a few spicules. Even though future research will likely demon- 



