﻿SPONGIIDA. 
  435 
  

  

  and 
  four 
  of 
  the 
  five 
  agree 
  further 
  in 
  being 
  the 
  only 
  ones 
  of 
  the 
  

   series 
  which 
  present 
  an 
  irregular 
  erect 
  expansion 
  or 
  horizontal 
  mass 
  ; 
  

   a 
  specimen 
  of 
  the 
  erect 
  slender 
  type 
  also 
  shows 
  this 
  colour 
  ; 
  neither 
  

   do 
  I 
  find 
  any 
  thing 
  peculiar 
  in 
  the 
  spicnlation 
  of 
  greenish 
  speci- 
  

   mens. 
  Two 
  of 
  them 
  are 
  the 
  only 
  specimens 
  received 
  from 
  Port 
  

   Molle, 
  the 
  rest 
  are 
  from 
  Torres 
  Straits. 
  But 
  as 
  two 
  flattened 
  speci- 
  

   mens 
  from 
  the 
  Amirante 
  Islands, 
  in 
  spirit, 
  also 
  possess 
  a 
  decided 
  

   olivaceous 
  green 
  coloration, 
  I 
  conclude 
  it 
  to 
  represent 
  a 
  variety, 
  

   uniting 
  green 
  colour 
  with 
  expanded 
  habit 
  of 
  growth. 
  Possibly 
  the 
  

   colours 
  may 
  depend 
  on 
  sexual 
  characters, 
  or 
  reproductive 
  condition, 
  

   as 
  noted 
  by 
  Keller 
  in 
  Chal'unda 
  feriiUs. 
  

  

  The 
  general 
  form 
  and 
  surface 
  characters 
  resemble 
  strongly 
  those 
  

   of 
  the 
  species 
  named 
  by 
  Mr. 
  Carter 
  Axos 
  ancliorata, 
  from 
  Pass's 
  

   Straits, 
  except 
  that 
  this 
  is 
  not 
  branched 
  ; 
  in 
  this 
  the 
  colour 
  is 
  given 
  

   as 
  brown 
  ; 
  the 
  equianchorate 
  appears 
  to 
  be 
  a 
  modified 
  birotulate, 
  

   but 
  the 
  skeleton-spicule 
  is 
  acerate. 
  It 
  is 
  perhaps 
  referable 
  to 
  

   Chondrocladia, 
  Wyville 
  Thomson, 
  although, 
  unlike 
  the 
  hitherto 
  de- 
  

   scribed 
  species 
  of 
  that 
  genus, 
  it 
  has 
  no 
  second 
  form 
  of 
  flesh-spicule. 
  

  

  68. 
  lotrochota 
  baculifera. 
  

   (Plate 
  XXXIX. 
  fig. 
  M 
  ; 
  Plate 
  XLII. 
  fig. 
  /.) 
  

  

  Erect, 
  formed 
  of 
  subcylindrical 
  lobes, 
  terminating 
  bluntly 
  ; 
  dia- 
  

   meter 
  of 
  lobes 
  about 
  12 
  millim. 
  Surface 
  chiefly 
  rough, 
  owing 
  to 
  

   the 
  projection 
  from 
  it, 
  at 
  intervals 
  of 
  -5 
  to 
  1 
  millim., 
  of 
  blunt 
  

   meandering 
  ridges 
  or 
  conical 
  blunt 
  processes, 
  "5 
  to 
  1 
  millim. 
  high 
  ; 
  

   dermis 
  between 
  eminences 
  smooth, 
  glabrous 
  (in 
  parts 
  smooth 
  patches 
  

   of 
  some 
  extent). 
  Texture 
  in 
  spirit 
  soft 
  to 
  touch, 
  but 
  very 
  slightly 
  

   compressible 
  and 
  elastic 
  ; 
  colour 
  very 
  dark 
  crimson 
  (almost 
  black). 
  

  

  Main 
  skeleton 
  forming 
  somewhat 
  irregular 
  and 
  wide 
  meshes 
  ("4 
  

   to 
  '(j 
  millim. 
  across) 
  ; 
  consisting 
  of 
  stout 
  compact 
  primary 
  spicular 
  

   fibres 
  running 
  approximately 
  at 
  right 
  angles 
  to 
  the 
  surface, 
  about 
  

   12 
  to 
  15 
  spicules 
  broad, 
  and 
  of 
  similar 
  secondary 
  fibres, 
  vertical 
  to 
  

   the 
  former 
  in 
  general 
  direction, 
  often 
  meeting 
  them 
  in 
  curves, 
  about 
  

   10 
  spicules 
  broad. 
  Sarcode 
  purple, 
  stained 
  diffusely 
  and 
  also 
  

   coloured 
  by 
  the 
  presence 
  of 
  very 
  abundant 
  dark 
  purple 
  cells. 
  Der- 
  

   mal 
  skeleton 
  formed 
  by 
  summits 
  of 
  primary 
  and 
  by 
  uppermost 
  

   secondary 
  fibres, 
  and 
  by 
  long 
  compact 
  tracts 
  of 
  cylindrical 
  spicules 
  

   which 
  traverse 
  the 
  intervening 
  spaces. 
  

  

  Spicules 
  : 
  — 
  (1) 
  Smooth 
  aciuite, 
  rather 
  suddenly 
  curved, 
  base 
  well 
  

   rounded, 
  tapering 
  to 
  a 
  sharp 
  point 
  from 
  about 
  four 
  diameters 
  from 
  

   apex, 
  or 
  to 
  blunt 
  point 
  from 
  about 
  1| 
  diameters 
  from 
  the 
  apex; 
  

   size 
  -2 
  by 
  -0095 
  to 
  "0127 
  millim. 
  : 
  forms 
  the 
  main 
  skeleton-fibre. 
  

   (2) 
  Smooth, 
  cylindrical, 
  straight, 
  ends 
  well 
  rounded 
  ; 
  size 
  -22 
  to 
  *28 
  

   by 
  '0063 
  millim. 
  : 
  lies 
  loose 
  in 
  dermis. 
  (3) 
  Pirotulate, 
  shaft 
  slender, 
  

   heads 
  about 
  •003 
  millim. 
  across; 
  teeth 
  four 
  in 
  number, 
  bent 
  inwards, 
  

   umbrella-like 
  ; 
  length 
  -016 
  millim. 
  

  

  Ilah. 
  Port 
  Darwin, 
  between 
  tide-marks 
  ; 
  bottom 
  mud 
  and 
  rock. 
  

  

  The 
  specimen 
  consists 
  of 
  an 
  irregular 
  horizontal 
  mass 
  about 
  40 
  by 
  

  

  2f2 
  

  

  