86 Records of the Indian Museum. [VoL. XVIII, 
Locality, etc.—This sponge was found in abundance in the 
dry Naizar or reed-country round the Hamun-i-Helmand in Decem- 
ber, 1918. Gemmules were also observed in drift near Nasratabad 
with those of S. carteri. ‘The sponge grows on the stems and 
roots of reeds in country desiccated for a considerable part of 
each year. No living examples were observed in winter. 
[Spongilla lacustris var. ineptorum, nov.] 
Fragments of sponge from the edge of a creek running into 
the Tigris at Baghdad must be assigned, on account of their 
yellowish colour in a dry condition, to S. lacustris rather than 
S. alba, but they represent a very distinct new variety, for which 
I propose the name ineptorum. When fresh they were evidently 
green. ‘Their skeletal support is fragile and all the elements in the 
skeleton feebly developed. The skeleton-spicules are very thin, 
resembling those of the var. montana, Potts,! a variety which 
ee = EE ER) Se Ee ie 
Fic. 2.—Spicules of Spongilla lacustris var. ineptorum, nov. X 250. 
lives at high altitudes. At the nodes of the skeleton, however, 
there are dense masses of microscleres, most of which are covered 
somewhat sparsely with rather stout spines. The spines at the 
extremities are retroverted. These microscleres are indistinguish- 
able from those of the gemmules. Others also occur, however, 
more sparingly in which the spines are all quite straight and the 
ends more pointed. The two types of flesh-spicules are found to- 
gether. The gemmules are normal, with the pneumatic wall well 
developed and the spicules abundant and arranged in the usual 
manner. 
Measurements of spicules, etc. 
Length of skeleton-spicules .. 0°348-0°373 mm. 
Greatest diameter of skeleton-spicules 0°0082-0'0123 mm. 
Length of flesh and gemmule-spicules 0°082-0°095 mm. 
‘Diameter of gemmules .. 0°394-0°476 mm. 
1 Potts, Proc. Nat. Sci, Philadelphia, 1887, p. 192, pl. 6. 
