Catalogue of Non-Calcareous Sponges. 245 



The sponge is broadly digitate, often compressed, with scattered 

 or serial vents and glabrous or subglabrous dermal membrane. 

 It is very compressible and of a translucent yellow colour in 

 spirit. The horny fibres are stout and well-developed, but the 

 spicules are reduced to liair-like thinness, scattered more or less 

 abundantly in and between the stout fibres. Tliis great reduction 

 of the spicules and the strong development of the spongin form 

 the most characteristic features of the species. 



R.N. 453 (s. 9, 20 f ; " vinaceous cinnamon ") ; 461 (s. 14, 10 f; 

 "smokegrey"); 657 (x, 20f; "wood brown with wash of yellow''); 

 807 (s. 5) ; 855 (s. 9) ; 875 (s. 9) ; 906 (s. 8). 



Genus Siphonochalina (Schmidt). 



Sponge tubular ; tubes smooth, both inside and out, usually 

 narrow, each with a large round opening (pseudosculum or vent) 

 at the summit. 



Siphonochalina proci/nilens, Carter, sp. 



Fatuloscula procumbens. Carter, A.M.N.H., May, 1882, p. 365. 



Patuloscula prociinibens, Carter, A.M.N.H., October, 1885, p. 

 286. 



Siphonochalina procitnibens, Dendy, Trans. Zool. Soc, vol. xii. 

 p. 355., pi. Iviii., fig. 4 ; pi. Ixii., fig. 1. 



In my memoir on the "West Indian Chalininie " {loc. cit.) I 

 questioned Mr. Carter's indentification of the Victorian species 

 with his own West Indian Fatuloscula procumbens. Having 

 carefully reconsidered the question I do not think it desirable to 

 separate the two. 



The sponge is composed of a uundjer of short wide tubes fused 

 together laterally, and each bearing a wide vent at the summit. 

 The surface is uneven but smooth ; the texture tough and 

 resilient ; the colour in spirit pale yellowish-brown. Perhaps the 

 most characteristic feature is afforded l)y the remarkably short, 

 nearly straight, hastately pointed oxea, measuring about 0"07 by 

 0'005 mm. Mr, Carter gives the colour in life as "purple-slate." 



R.N. 1150 (x). 



B.M. d. 76 ('■'■Patuloscula procumbens." South coast of 

 Australia. Reo-. 86-12-15-208). 



