142 U.S. NATIONAL MUSEUM BULLETIN 2 72 



Trochospongilla philottiana Annandale, 1907 



Plate 12, figures 11-15 



Trochospongilla philottiana Annandale, 1907c, p. 22; 1907a, p. 269; 1908b, p. 157; 



1909f, p. 103; 1911c, p. 117; 1918a, p. 213.— Gee, 1926a, p. 181; 1929d, p. 



297; 1930c, p. 491; 1931e, p. 46; 1932b, p. 26; 1932c, p. 43.— Arndt, 1938a, 



p. 23.— Penney, 1960, p. 57. 

 Trochospongilla timghuensis Gee, 1926a, p. 181; 1926c, p. 110; 1927a, p. 1; 1927b, 



p. 63; 1928, p. 225. 

 Trochospongilla philottiana var. tunghuensis Gee, 1930d, p. 369; 1930c, p. 491; 



193 le, p. 51; 1932b, p. 29; 1932c, p. 43; 1932d, p. 53; 1932f, p. 507.— Penney, 



1960, p. 58. 

 Trochospongilla tunghuensis var. javanensis Gee, 1930a, p. 102. 

 Trochospongilla philottiana vax. javanensis Gee, 1931e, p. 40; 1932b, p. 31; 1932c, 



p. 43.— Penney, 1960, p. 57. 

 Trochospongilla philottiana var. minima Gee, 1930c, p. 491; 1932b, p. 28. — Penney, 



1960, p. 57. 

 fSpongilla tanganyikae Evans, 1899, p. 481. — Kirkpatrick, 1906, p. 221. 

 Trochospongilla tanganyikae Burton, 1938, p. 460. 



Material. — Slides of types or syntypes of all forms listed, except 

 S. tanganyikae and T. tanganyikae (IM, USNM, N. Gist Gee) ; 

 numerous specimens of T. philottiana from India, SE. Asia, and 

 Africa (N. Gist Gee and MCB). 



Description. — Sponge forming flat crusts of moderate dimensions; 

 surface rather even but distinctly hispid; oscula few in number and 

 inconspicuous. Skeleton consisting of relatively slender spicule fibers, 

 forming triangular meshes. Consistency of live sponge rigid but 

 relatively brittle. 



Megascleres somewhat slender, feebly curved amphistrongyla, only 

 rarely abruptly pointed amphioxea or tornota, almost uniformly 

 covered with small conical spines; length range of typical scleres 

 165-190 /z, width range 9-12 n. 



Microscleres absent. 



Gemmoscleres minute birotulates with slender shafts, and terminally 

 with circular rotules of unequal diameter; both rotules often con- 

 siderably recurved, the upper usually forming a bowllike structure; 

 length of shaft typically 14-16 ju, its thickness 3-4 /x, diameter of 

 lower rotule 18-22 n, of upper 14-18 ju. 



Gemmules rather abundant, confined to base of sponge, spherical 

 and minute, usually surrounded by a capsule of normal megascleres; 

 diameter ranging 340-390 n; pneumatic layer distinctly granular and 

 very thin ; gemmoscleres embedded in this coat in a single layer, their 

 lower rotules alternatively overlapping; foramen produced into a 

 short and conical porus tube. 



Distribution. — Restricted to tropical regions of Asia, occurring 

 from India through southern China and SE. Asia to the Philippines, 

 apparently also occurring in Africa. 



