34 Proceedings of the Royal Society of Victoria. 



There seems to be little doubt, from Mr. Cax-ter's description, 

 that this species is a Clathria, but I have not yet had the oppoi'- 

 tunity of examining it. 



Clathria piiiiformis, Carter, sp. 



Dictyocylindrus piniformis, Carter, A.M.N. H., November, 1885, 

 p. 354^ 



This is apparently an aberrant Clathria. The sponge is erect, 

 lobo-digitate or Habellate, with corrugated surface. There is a 

 well-developed horny fibre, and the spicules are all very slender. 

 The megascleres are long slender styli which may become oxeote, 

 and short slender eehinating styli, which may also become oxeote. 

 The latter are spined as usual, and the oxeote tendency seems to 

 be very characteristic. No microsclei'es ai^e visible. 



R.N. 412 (x, 19 f; "cadmium orange"); 508 (x, 20 f; 

 " brick red "). 



B.M. sp. 75 {'■'■ Dictyocylindnis piniforniis, C. type," lleg. 86-12- 

 15-62). 



Clathria alata, n. sp. 



Sponge massive, irregular, with rugose or warty surface and 

 thick, tough, smooth dermal membrane. Agents large and small, 

 scattered. Texture fairly firm but compressible and resilient. 

 Pale yellow or brown in spirit. 



Skeleton., the spicular skeleton is very strongly-developed, 

 partly in stout, whisp-like, multispicular fibres, enveloped in 

 much spongin and forming a very loose, irregular network; the 

 fibres are composed chiefly of the smooth styli. At the surface 

 they break up into densely-packed, radiating tufts of smooth 

 styli, forming a dermal crust. Very numerous loose megascleres 

 are scattered between the fibres of the main skeleton. 



Megascleres, (a) straight, smooth, i-ather slender styli ; evenly 

 rounded ofi" at one end and fairly gradually sharp-pointed at the 

 other; nearly cylindrical; size about 0-23 by 0-0042 mm.; {/>) 

 spined styli ; straight, gradually sharp-pointed, apex free from 

 spines ; variable in size, usually rather short and stout, say about 

 0-1 by 0-0082 nnn. 



Microscleres, very numerous isochehy. Resendjling the ordinary 

 Clathria type in general characters but comparatively large and 



