HIECINIA. — STTLOTELLA. 185 



millim. in diameter. The ciliated chambers are 0-022 millim. wide, and desti- 

 tute of special efferent canals. The exhalant branches are 0* 1-0*2 millim. 

 wide. All the canals are destitute of annular strictures. The ground- 

 substance is pretty transparent ; in some specimens I have observed a great 

 many small, highly light-refracting bodies of varying shape, which are 0-0006- 

 0-0012 millim. in size, and may possibly be identical with the " spores " and 

 "dumbbell- shaped" bodies described by PolejaeS in some other species. 



Geogeaphioal Disteibution. — JSTorth coast of Australia : Lat. 9° 49' S., 

 Long. 139° 42' E., Torres Straits (' Challencjer ') ; Prince of Wales Channel, 

 Torres Straits (' Alert '). East coast of Australia : Port Jackson, N. S. W. 

 (^Lendenfeld). 



Familia HETERORRHAPHID^. 



Cornacuspongiae with very little spongin. Megasclera of various 

 forms. Microsclera commonly present, but never chelae. Marine, 

 without gemmulse. 



Subfamilia ST YLOT E L LI N.^!. 



Heterorrhaphidse without differentiated microsclera, and without 

 a hard spicular rind. 



Genus STYLOTELLA, Lendenfeld. 



Heterorrhaphidse of very soft texture. Megasclera styli, in 

 bundles and scattered. No microsclera. 



Stylotella digitata, n. sp. 



L-regularly branching sponges, with cylindrical, digitate processes tapering 

 towards the distal end. Oscula small, scattered, and inconspicuous. Surface 

 smooth. In the living state intensely orange-coloured. 



The skeleton consists of irregular, often flattened and band-shaped, longitu- 

 dinal fibres, which have an average thickness of 0-12 millim., and often approxi- 

 mate each other so closely that hardly any space is left between them. The 

 sponge, in fact, appears occupied entirely by a dense mass of longitudinally 

 disposed spicules. Besides these also irregularly scattered transverse spicules 

 are found. The spicules are styli, generally straight, sometimes slightly curved, 



