THOBECTA. — APLYSINOPSIS. 149 



Thorecta ramsayii, n. sp. 



The sponge consists of a somewhat meandriform, irregularly folded lamella, 

 with smooth surface. The skeleton is comparatively very dense and much 

 harder than in other species. The oscula are conspicuous and situated chiefly 

 on the margin and on the pi'ojectiug folds of the lamella. 



The slceleton consists of a network composed of main fibres 0-1 millira. thick, 

 cored with abundant small sand-grains ; and slightly branched connecting- 

 fibres, 0"05 millim. thick. 



GEOOBApniCAL DiSTEiBUTioN. — West coast of Australia : Western AustraliJi 

 {Baily). East coast of Australia : Port Jackson, N. S. W. (Lendenfeld). 



Genus APLYSINOPSIS, n. gen. 



Spongidas with a skeleton composed of pithed fibres, distin- 

 guished into main and simple or slightly branched connecting- 

 fibres; with meshes of the skeleton-net l'5-2 millim. wide; small 

 ciliated chambers 0*03-0*035 milUm. wide, and conuli on the 

 surface. 



Aplysinopsis elegans, n. sp. 



The sponge consists either of a single pedunculate, cylindrical, or pyriform 

 erect tube, with a terminal osculum 20 millim, wide, or of several such which 

 grow out from a common peduncle. The whole sponge attains a height of 

 150 millim., and each tube is 40-80 millim. wide. The slender forms with 

 cylindrical tubes are generally smaller than the pyriform ones. Longitudinal 

 rows of blunt conuli are observed on the surface, these are more regular in the 

 vicinity of the osculum than further down. The conuli are 1 millim. high and 

 3 millim. apart. 



The colour of the living sponge is flesh-colour on the surface and yellowish 

 white in the interior ; the skeleton is light chestnut-brown, stiff, but com- 

 pressible. 



The main fibres of the skeleton are 0-18 millim. thick, and cored with an axial 

 string of very small sand-grains. The connecting-fibres are slightly ramified, 

 the branches are mostly given off at right angles. At the joining points, and 

 particularly where the connecting-fibres are attached to the main fibres, they 

 are very much distended in the direction of the fibre, which they join in a 

 trumpet-shaped manner. In the middle the connecting-fibres are about 0-14 

 millim. thick. The meshes are square, 1-5 millim. wide. 



A single layer of moderately sized sand-grains and a few scattered spicule- 

 fragments are observed in the skin, forming a very regular reticulation com- 



