II. NOTES ON FRESHWATER SPaNGES. 



Bv N. Annandalr, D.Sc, Superintendent, Indian Museum. 



X. — Report on a smaix collection from Travancore. 



Genus Spongilla. 

 Subgenus Euspongilla. 



Spongilla travancdrica^ sp. nov. 



Sponge small, encrusting, without branches, hard but brittle; 

 its structure somewhat loose ; colour dirty white. Dermal mem- 

 brane in close contact with the skeleton ; pores and oscula incon- 

 spicuous. Surf ape minutely hispid, smooth and rounded as a 

 whole. 



Skeleton consisting of moderateh' stout and coherent radiating 

 fibres and well-defined transverse ones ; a number of horizontal 

 spicules present at the base and surface but not arranged in any 

 definite order No basal membrane. 



Spicules. — Skeleton spicules smooth, pointed at either end, 

 moderately stoiit , straight or curved , sometimes angularly bent ; 

 curvature usually slight. Free microscleres abundant in the 

 dermal membrane, slender, nearly straight, gradually and sharply 

 pointed, profusely ornamented with short straight spines, which 

 are much more numerous and longer in the centre than near the 

 ends. Gemmule spicules stouter and rather longer, cylindrical, 

 terminating at each end in a sharp spine, ornamented with shorter 

 spines, which are more numerous and longer at the ends than in 

 the centre; at the ends they are sometimes directed backwards, 

 without, however, being curved. 



Gemmules firmly adhereitt to the support of the sponge, at the 

 base of which they form a layer one gemmule thick ; each provided 

 with at least one foraminal tubule, which is straight and conical ; 

 two tubules, one at the top and one at one side, usually present. 

 Granular layer well developed. Spicules arranged irregularly in 

 this layer, as a rule being more nearly vertical than horizontal but 

 pointing in all directions, not confined externally by a membrane ; 

 no external layer of horizontal spicules. 



Length of skeleton spicule . . . . o'28g — 0*374 "^i^^- 



Greatest diameter of skeleton spicule o"oi2 — o*or6 ,, 



Length of f re i microscleres .. .. o'o8 — 0'og6 ,, 



Greatest diameter of free microscleres 0'002 mm. 



Length of gemmule spicule .. .. o*i — 0"ii6 



Diameter of ,, ,, .. ,. O" 008 mm. 



,, ,, gemmule .. .. 0*272 — 0*374 .. 



