﻿SPONGIIDA. 
  627 
  

  

  preparation, 
  although 
  he 
  says 
  that 
  the 
  range 
  is 
  great) 
  ; 
  and 
  I 
  do 
  not 
  

   find 
  in 
  Schmidt's 
  species 
  the 
  small 
  raultiradiate 
  stellate 
  which 
  occurs 
  

   hero 
  ; 
  the 
  granulations 
  on 
  the 
  surface 
  of 
  the 
  disk 
  are 
  much 
  coarser 
  

   in 
  this 
  species. 
  In 
  having 
  lost 
  the 
  trifid 
  head 
  of 
  the 
  zone-spicule 
  it 
  

   exhibits 
  the 
  same 
  tendency 
  as 
  that 
  which 
  seems 
  to 
  have 
  led 
  in 
  

   Ancorina 
  aaptus, 
  Schmidt, 
  to 
  the 
  loss 
  of 
  all 
  tetraradiate 
  characters. 
  

   Early 
  stages 
  of 
  the 
  acerate 
  spicule 
  (no. 
  3) 
  exhibit 
  the 
  central 
  in- 
  

   flation 
  found 
  in 
  the 
  young 
  acerates 
  of 
  some 
  Benierce 
  Siud 
  Sponc/ilUda;. 
  

  

  51. 
  Stelletta 
  acervus. 
  

  

  Ecionemia 
  acervus, 
  Bowerbanh, 
  P. 
  Z. 
  S. 
  1873, 
  p. 
  322. 
  

  

  There 
  appears 
  to 
  be 
  only 
  one 
  form 
  of 
  minute 
  stellate; 
  those 
  

   stellatcs 
  in 
  which 
  the 
  arms 
  are 
  small, 
  relatively 
  to 
  the 
  body, 
  seem 
  to 
  be 
  

   the 
  young 
  form 
  of 
  the 
  longer-armed 
  adult 
  ; 
  the 
  arms 
  are 
  very 
  slightly 
  

   capitate, 
  as 
  shown 
  by 
  Dr. 
  Bowerbank's 
  preparations 
  and 
  stiU 
  more 
  

   plainly 
  in 
  the 
  present 
  specimen, 
  and 
  vary 
  in 
  number 
  from 
  about 
  5 
  

   to 
  about 
  12. 
  The 
  small 
  acerates 
  are 
  scantily 
  present 
  in 
  the 
  cortex. 
  

   Dr. 
  Bowerbank 
  considered 
  his 
  specimen 
  to 
  have 
  been 
  originally 
  

   fixed, 
  but 
  the 
  actual 
  base 
  was 
  absent 
  ; 
  the 
  present 
  specimen 
  is 
  

   decidedly 
  free, 
  and 
  has 
  an 
  oval 
  shape. 
  

  

  Hab. 
  Etoile 
  Island, 
  Amirante 
  group, 
  13 
  fms. 
  

  

  Distribution. 
  Fiji 
  Islands 
  {Bowerbank). 
  

  

  52. 
  Stelletta 
  purpurea, 
  var. 
  parvistella, 
  nov. 
  

  

  See 
  Part 
  I., 
  p. 
  473, 
  of 
  this 
  Report. 
  

  

  A 
  small 
  oval 
  specimen 
  7| 
  miUim. 
  long, 
  destitute 
  of 
  a 
  vent, 
  and 
  of 
  

   a 
  purple 
  colour, 
  undoubtedly 
  represents 
  this 
  species 
  in 
  a 
  somewhat 
  

   modified 
  form. 
  Thus 
  the 
  stellates 
  do 
  not 
  exceed 
  -0095 
  millim. 
  across 
  

   the 
  arms, 
  and 
  usually 
  measure 
  about 
  '007 
  millim., 
  and 
  the 
  arms 
  are 
  

   generally 
  more 
  numerous 
  than 
  in 
  the 
  Australian 
  specimens. 
  The 
  

   skeleton-spicules 
  are 
  also 
  somewhat 
  smaller, 
  viz. 
  : 
  — 
  diameter 
  of 
  shaft 
  

   of 
  zone-spicule 
  "032 
  millim., 
  of 
  anchor 
  about 
  -023 
  millim., 
  of 
  acerate 
  

   about 
  -025 
  millim. 
  ; 
  the 
  arm 
  of 
  the 
  zone-spicule 
  curves 
  boldly 
  back- 
  

   wards, 
  but 
  does 
  not 
  make 
  an 
  angle 
  in 
  its 
  course 
  like 
  that 
  of 
  var. 
  

   retrojiexa, 
  mihi. 
  The 
  small 
  size 
  of 
  the 
  skeleton-spicules 
  is 
  perhap? 
  

   partly 
  due 
  to 
  the 
  youth 
  of 
  the 
  specimen. 
  The 
  variety 
  approaches 
  the 
  

   form 
  obtained 
  in 
  the 
  Arafura 
  Sea 
  the 
  most 
  closely. 
  

  

  Hab. 
  Providence 
  Reef, 
  Mascarenc 
  group, 
  24 
  fms. 
  

  

  