78 U.S. NATIONAL MUSEUM BULLETIN 272 



Material. — Slides of syntype (N. Gist Gee no. 54316). 



Description. — Sponge, according to Annandale (1909f), forming 

 small cushions on solid support; oscula few and comparatively large, 

 dermal membrane closely adhering to symplasm; surface minutely 

 hispid. Skeleton consisting of feebly coherent spicule fibers. Con- 

 sistency of Uve sponge soft. 



Megascleres fusiform and sharply pointed amxphioxea, feebly 

 curved or nearly straight, entirely smooth; length range 270-320 n, 

 width range 13-16 ju. 



Microscleres of two different groups: (1) small, slender, straight, 

 fusiform and microspined amphioxea; and (2) minute, rhomboidal, 

 relatively thick, and smooth amphioxea; length range of (1) 45-52 n, 

 of (2) 22-24 m; ^vidth range of (1) 1.5-2.5 n, of (2) 3-3.5 /x. 



Gemmoscleres typical for this genus, minute, with smooth cylindri- 

 cal slightly curved shafts, and a bipolar but unilateral arrangement 

 of rows of spines which arise from a broad base and appear joined 

 to each other by sihcious webs under high magnification; length 

 range 31-37 n, width range of shaft 2.5-4 /x; length of comb-rows 17 jjl. 



Gemmules very minute, ranging in diameter 190-220 /x, spherical, 

 scattered in the skeletal meshes; pneumatic coat well developed and 

 distinctly granular; gemmoscleres embedded in this coat radially, 

 but crossing each other at slanting angles, with their comb-rows 

 pointing in all directions; foramen tubular, poms tube rather short. 



Distribution. — Hitherto known only from India. 



Color in life. — Kecorded as deep golden (Annandale). 



Discussion. — P. aurea is closely allied to P. stellifera and P. 

 suhspinosa, all erected by Annandale, and to another species recently 

 found in Australia (Kacek, MS.). The few distinguishing criteria 

 chiefly refer to the surface of the megascleres and to the slightly 

 varying structure of the microscleres which seem to occur in two 

 series in all species known. Until it will be possible to identify the 

 Australian species, and additional material from India will become 

 available, it is better to consider all species as distinct in order not 

 to obscure possible taxonomic evidence. The descriptions of P. 

 stellifera and P. subspinosa, however, will here be shortened to demon- 

 strate only their most characteristic differences from P. aurea. 



Pectispongilla stellifera Annandale, 1915 



Plate 6, figure 20 



Peclispongilla stellifera Annandale, 1915a, p. 175; 1918a, p. 212. — Gee, 1931e, 

 p. 50; 1932c, p. 35.— Penney, 1960, p. 9. 



Material.— Slide of type (IM no. ZEV 3790/7) . 

 Description. — Sponge, according to Annandale (1915a), similar 

 in shape and structure to P. aurea. 



