132 EUSPOKGIA. 



face of the cup. They measure 0*1 millim. in thickness, are smooth, and do 

 not contain any foreign bodies. The connecting-fibres are straight, 0-03- 

 0-04 millim. thick, and form a very regular network with angular, polygonal, 

 meshes 0*5 millim. wide. 



Geogeaphical Disteibution. — West coast of Australia : Western Australia 

 {Baihjy 



Euspongia pikei, Hyatt. 



Stelospongos jnJcei, A. Hyatt, " Eevision of the North-American Poriferse. — 

 Part II.," Memoirs of the Boston Society, vol. ii. p. 522 (1877). 



Lamellar, lobose, somewhat branched sponges, which attain a height of 

 150 millim. ; the compressed lobose processes or branches are 6-10 millim. thick. 

 The oscula are situated on the rounded margin. The surface of the dry 

 skeleton is comparatively smooth, covered only with very small villi. The dry 

 skeleton is dirty brown, pretty soft, and very elastic. 



The main fibres of the skeleton are irregular, flattened, and perforated — 

 trelliswork-like. These perforated plates attain a maximum width of 0-25 

 millim. No foreign bodies are observed in them. The connecting-fibres of 

 the internal skeleton are of somewhat variable thickness ; most of them 

 measure 0*008-0-012 millim., a few as much as 0-022 millim. 



In the skin, and in the walls of the larger canals, a network of exceedingly 

 fine fibres, only 0'005-0'007 millim. thick, is observed. The fibres in the 

 interior are straight, and angularly bent at the joining points ; the meshes 

 polygonal, angular, 0-2 millim. wide. 



Geogeaphical Distribution. —Mauritius {Pike). 

 East coast of Australia {Ramsay). 



Buspongia irregularis, Lendenfeld. 



Euspongia irregularis, R. v. Lendenfeld, "A Monograph of the Australian 

 Sponges. — Part VI. The Genus Euspongia," Proceedings of the Linnean 

 Society of New South Wales, vol. x. p. 485 (1885). 



The shape of the different varieties, and even of different individuals of one 

 and the same vai-iety of this species, varies very much. It is lobose or massive, 

 but never digitate, sometimes bulbous and spherical. The lobes are always 

 flattened and irregular, and measure about 8 millim. in thickness. Occa- 

 sionally no massive central part is developed, but in any case the outgrowths 

 or branches are compressed, so that the lobose character is retained. 



The skeleton is elastic and not very hard. The colour is light brownish 



