22 Proceedmgs of the Royal Society of Victoria. 



Megascleres. Many foreign megascleres are present but I 

 have not found any which can be safely regarded as belonging 

 to the sponge. 



Alicroscleres. Immense numbers of very minute isochelae are 

 scattered through the soft tissues. These are very slender and 

 have sharply recurved, very slender median palms running 

 almost parallel with the main shaft for about a third of its 

 length, the lateral palms being inconspicuous. Length about 

 0-016 mm. 



R.N. 979 (s. 5). 



Desmacidon (?) chalitiiformis, Carter, sp. 



Dysidea chaliniformis, Carter, A.M.N.H., March, 1885, p. 217. 



In the fragment of Mr. Carter's specimen sent to me from the 

 British Museum I find numerous minute isochelse of peculiar 

 shape, sparsely and irregularly scattered through the dried-up 

 soft tissues between the sandy fibres. These spicules measure 

 about 0"012 mm. in length. They have a very slender, very 

 slightly curved shaft, with apparently three very short, blunt 

 teeth widely divergent from each end, but all apparently on the 

 same side. It is very ditficult to make out the exact form of 

 the spicule, which makes a near appi'oach to the minute 

 amphiastra or birotulates of lotrochota. The presence of these 

 spicules seems to necessitate the placing of this species in the 

 Esperelliiice. I have found no proper megascleres. 



Whether all the specimens included by von Lendeiifeld under 

 the name Phoriospongia chaIi/ii/or»iis* belong to the same species 

 appears very doubtful. 



B.M. d. 8 C' Dysidea chaliniformis." Reg. 86-12-15-341). 



Genus lotrochota, Ridley. 



Megascleres styli, sometimes with diactinal forms also. 

 Microscleres amphiasters (birotulatesf). Colour usually dark 

 purple. 



* JloiiograpU of Horny Sponges, p. 600. 

 t Usually extremely minute. 



