70 U.S. NATIONAL MUSEUM BULLETIN 2 72 



True inicroscleres absent; however, immature gemmoscleres often 

 abundant in dermal membrane, also present in dense isolated batches 

 in inner symplasm. 



Gemmoscleres almost straight, club-shaped amphistrongyla, covered 

 with short and straight spines throughout their length, these spines 

 forming distinct aggregations at the extremities of the sclere, without 

 increasing in length; length range 60-68 ju, width of shaft 3-4 /x. 



Gemmules numerous in maturing sponge, spherical, scattered 

 throughout skeletal meshes, and easily dislodged; diameter ranging 

 310-370 ju; pneumatic layer well developed and thick, consisting of 

 minute irregular air spaces; gemmoscleres embedded in this coat 

 more or less radially, arranged in a single layer, their extremities 

 occasionally slightly protruding through outer gemmular membrane; 

 foramen distinctly tubular, porus tube flask-shaped, slender, and 

 relatively long, surrounded by 3-4 mammiform aspiculous enlarge- 

 ments of the pneumatic coat. 



Distribution. — India (type locality), and possibly New Guinea 

 (Arndt, 1930a) ; recently also recorded from eastern Australia (Racek, 

 MS.;. 



Color in life. — Ranging from dirty yellow (Annandale) to bright 

 green (Australian specimen). 



Discussion. — This species is closely related to R. sansibarica, but 

 differs from the latter by its smaller and sparsely spined megascleres, 

 by some differences in shape and length of its gemmoscleres, and by 

 the presence of mammiform aspiculous elevations of the pneumatic 

 coat surrounding the gemmular micropyle. 



Ai-ndt's (1930a) record of R. heinephydatia from New Guinea, 

 material of which was unavailable for the present study, needs con- 

 firmation. The megascleres of the New Guinea sponge are entu'ely 

 smooth and almost cylindiical and the gemmoscleres are illustrated 

 as resembling those of R. crateriformis or R. cantonensis. Additional 

 material is highly desirable in order to establish the true identity of 

 this particular spougillid. 



Radiospongilla sansibarica (Weltner, 1893) 



Plate 6, figures 12-14 



Spongilla sansibarica Weltner, 1895, p. 140; 1898b, p. 127; 1913, p. 475. — Arndt, 



1938a, p. 21. 

 Pectispongilla sansibarica Annandale, 1914, p. 245. — Gee, 1931e, p. 48; 1932n, 



p. 35.— Arndt, 1936, p. 16.— Penney, 1960, p. 9. 



Material. — Slides of type (N. Gist Gee). 



Description. — Sponge, according to Weltner (1895), forming en- 

 crustations on aquatic plants; surface hispid due to projection of 

 radiating spicule fibers; dermal membrane well developed. Skeleton 



