81 • 



From tlie lacerated, lateral marginal parts cylindrical rliabds, 200-500 h, 

 thick and several centimeters long protrude singly in various directions. Similar 

 rliabds form the main support of the irregular skeleton-net of the interior. 

 These rhabds are smooth diactines. Besides them numerous other, much thinner, 

 parenchymal diactine principalia (4-10 h- and more thick) are met with. The two 

 rays of these are gradually attenuated till near the pointed end, but terminally 

 often shghtly thickened. In the centre, at the axial cross, a slight spindle-shaped 

 thickening is occasionally met with. 



The dermal membrane is supported by large oxypentactine dermalia with tan- 

 gential rays 400-500 i^ long, which are straight or bent inward, gradually 

 attenuated towards the sharp-pointed end, smooth on the inner proximal side and 

 covered on their outer, distal side more or less densely with small, sharp spines. 

 The proximal radial ray measures 600 f^ and more in length, is gradually atte- 

 nuated to the shghtly roughened, pointed end and usually bears varying numbers 

 of sparse, small, irregularly distributed, pointed tubercles (pi. XIV, f . 13). 



In the oscular margin surrounding the sieve-plate hexactines are met with 

 instead of pentactines. They are arranged in an annular manner and covered 

 like the pentactines with small, pointed spines. Their stout, freely protruding 

 distal rays form a low but hard marginal ridge or collar. 



In many places gastralia are met with. These are smooth or only slightly 

 rough pentactines, more slender and smaller than the dermal ones. Their rays, 

 particularly their tangential rays, are often terminally slightly thickened and 

 club-shaped (pi. XIV, f. 17). I could not with certainty ascertain whether or 

 not any of the gastralia are hexactines, similar to these pentactines, because the 

 only specimen at my disposal is in so imsatisfactory a state of preservation. I 

 think it however very probable. 



In the parenchyme one finds, beside the long diactines described above, 

 numerous oxyhexactines of varying size, 300-SOO /^ in diameter, with smooth or ' 

 more or less roughened rays, 2-10 f* thick (pi. XIV, f. 12). 



Discohexasters are also met with in the parenchyme. Their abundance differs 

 in the different regions of the body. They measure 80-100 H- in diameter and 

 are on the whole spherical (pi. XIV, f. 14). The main rays are short, stout and 

 terminally thickened, inversely conical. From the end of each one 4-6 long, 

 slightly diverging branch-rays arise, which are gradually thickened towards the 

 distal end and terminally bear a convex, watchglass-like, transverse, circular disc, 

 8-10 /^ in diameter, with 20-30, short marginal teeth (pi. XIV, f. 14, 15). 



Not infrequently I found in the parenchyme, particularly of the lower part, 



anchor-spicules (pi. XIV. f. 16.) Their shaft is long and slender, pointed at one 



end and thickened in a club-shaped manner at the other. It is covered with 



stout, mostly recurved spines and from its terminal thickening four shghtly 



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