236 Proceedings of the Royal Society of Victoria. 



Phakellia crassa, Carter, A.M.N.H., November, 1885, p. 363. 



Phakellia villosa, Carter, A.M.N.H., November, 1886, p. 379. 



(Not Phakellia flabellata, Ridley and Dendy, Challenger 

 Monaxonida, p. 171). 



Mr. Carter's three species appear to me to be indistinguishable. 

 The sponge is characterised by its stipitate, flabellate, often 

 proliferous external form, with granular surface and small 

 stellate vents. The skeleton is subreticulate but with slightly 

 plumose main fibres curving outwards towards the surface. The 

 spicules are short stout styli, sometimes oxeote, measuring about 

 0-25 by 0-01 mm. in the type of P. crassa, and varying somewhat 

 in different specimens. 



(By an unfortunate oversight the name flabellata was given in 

 the Challenger Report on the Monaxonida to a Phakellia from 

 Port Jackson which is quite distinct from Mr. Carter's species. 

 As the latter has priority, though only by a short while, I 

 propose to re-name the Challenger species Phakellia jacksotiiana). 



R.N. 326 (18 f.; "orange-yellow"); 679 (s. 9; "orange"); 1162 

 (x). 



B.M. sp. 58 ("Phakellia crassa, C. Type," Reg. 86-12-15-129); 

 sp. 56 ("Phakellia villosa, C. one of types," Reg. 86-12-15-78); 

 d. 86 ("Phakellia villosa," Reg. 86-12-15-437). 



Phakellia titmida, n. sp. 



The single specimen is compressed, lobose, irregular ; varying 

 greatly in thickness; thinnest in the middle and with the 

 margin more than an inch broad. Vents very small, abundantly 

 scattered on the margin. Surface uneven, slightly warty and 

 rugose ; subglabrous ; very minutely reticulate on the flattened 

 surfaces. Compact but very compressible and resilient. Pale 

 greenish-yellow in spirit. 



The skeleton is a pretty close-meshed but extremely irregular 

 network of branching and anastomosing fibre. The fibres are 

 about 0*09 mm. thick, not very definite, containing a great many 

 spicules and no obvious spongin. Towards the surface the fibres 

 subdivide rapidly and give rise to the dermal tufts of spicules, 

 which in surface view are seen to be arranged in a close reticula- 

 tion. Large numbers of sjficules are thickly scattered in the soft 

 tissues between the fibres of the main skeleton. 



