REVISION OF FRESHWATER SPONGES OF SPONGILLIDAE 157 



the inner gemmiilar membrane and with their tips projecting through 

 the outer; quite frequently present in two, rarely more, adjoining 

 layers, one on top of the other, not separated by a space of the pneu- 

 matic coat; microscleres often completely absent, or only sparsely 

 used in the outer protection of gemmides; outer gemmular membrane 

 thin and slightly corrugated; foramen produced into a very wide and 

 short porus tube, bearing a peripheral collar, with a group of slanting 

 gemmoscleres surrounding it. 



Distribution. — Known only from South America. 



Color in life. — Not yet reliably observed; recorded as light green 

 (Carter) and gray to brown (Cordero) . 



Discussion. — Carter (1881a) stresses the absence of a spicidar cage 

 around the gemmides, but such cages are present around two of the 

 six gemmules examined. That author, as well as Cordero (1925), 

 furthermore mention only a single layer of gemmoscleres to occur on 

 the gemmules. Although this has been found correct for most of the 

 gemmules, one gemmule of the type (BM) has distinctly two immedi- 

 ately adjoining layers, and thus forms transition of characters to the 

 gemmules of Parmula geayi Gravier. 



Drulia geayi (Gravier, 1899) 



Plate 15, figures 4, 8 



Parmula geayi Gravier, 1899, p. 126.— Gee, 1931e, p. 39; 1932c, p. 35.— Penney, 

 1960, p. 55. 



Material. — Slides of type (MNHP) and of syntype (N. Gist Gee). 



Description. — Sponge forming nodulose to spherical growths; 

 surface coarsely reticidate and hispid. Skeleton consisting of a similar 

 arrangement of spicules like in the foregoing species. Consistency of 

 dry sponge rigid and hard. 



Megascleres, microscleres, and gemmoscleres indistinguishable in 

 structure and size from those of D. hrownii; microscleres are similarly 

 rare in both symplasm and pneumatic gemmular layer. 



Gemmules enclosed in cages of the smaller series of megascleres, 

 and range in diameter 570-720 n; pneumatic layer comparatively 

 thin and distinctly granular; parmidiform gemmoscleres embedded 

 in this layer strictly radially, and arranged in more than two, usually 

 four or five adjoining layers, one on top of the other; porus tube very 

 wide, bearing a peripheral collar, with a group of slanting gemmoscleres 

 around it. 



Distribution. — Known only from Venezuela. 



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

 as dark brown to blackish (Gravier). 



Discussion. — Drulia geayi displays characters of such great 

 similarity to those of D. hrownii that its separation is difficult. The 



