162 HALME. 



Halme villosa, var. auloplegma. 



Aulena villosa , var. auloplegma, E. v. Lendeuf eld, " A Monograph of the Aus- 

 tralian Sponges. — Part V. The Auleninae," Proceedings of the Liunean 

 Society of New South Wales, vol. x. part 3, p. 318 (1885). 



Halmopsis australis, E. v. Lendenfeld, I. c. p. 320. 



Spherical sponges, with vents which are of unifoi'm size and distributed over 

 the whole of the surface. 



Geogeaphical Distribution. — East coast of Australia: Port Jackson, 

 N. S. W. (Lendenfeld). 



Halme flabellum, Lendenfeld. 



Aulena flahellum, R. v. Lendenfeld, "A Monograph of the Australian Sponges. 

 — Part V. The Auleninaj," Proceedings of the Linneau Society of New 

 South Wales, vol. x. p. 318 (1885). 



Compressed, frondose, flabelliform sponges, attached by a short peduncle, 

 generally growing erect. This species does not attain a large size. The 

 specimens do not exceed 40 millim. in height, 50 millim. in width, and 5 millim. 

 in thickness. The peduncle has a circular transverse section, and is about 

 8 millim. thick ; it is very short, and constricted in the middle. The surface 

 appears villous, because it is covered with cylindrical, distally rounded pro- 

 cesses, 3 millim. long and 1 millim. thick ; these stand very close together, 

 and are arranged in longitudinal rows, extending from the peduncle to the 

 upper margin of the lamella. All these processes are turned upward, and do 

 not project radially. Pseudoscula, measuring 8 millim. in diameter, are 

 sometimes observed on the upper margin of the lamella. These Nardorus- 

 forms are, however, rare. The usual form is the Auloplegyna. 



The colour of living, preserved, and dried specimens is always pretty much 

 the same, dirty grey. Fresh specimens are soft and resilient ; dry skeletons 

 compressible, inelastic, and friable. 



Between the projecting conuli or villi perforated membranes are spread out, 

 which divide the lacunar vestibule-spaces of the interior from the outer world. 

 The true body of the sponge appears as a reticulation, the meshes of which are 

 occupied by the vestibular spaces. The latter are traversed by muscular mem- 

 branes which deflect and regulate the water-current by their movements. The 

 trabeculse are, like the spaces between them, about 1 millim. broad. On 

 the surface of the true body of the sponge oscula and groups of small inhalant 

 pores are observed, which open either direct into the outer water (on the 

 projecting villi), or indiscriminately into the vestibular spaces (in the interior 



