284 "ENDEAVOUE" SCIENTIFIC EESULTS. 



appear, not to form a tri-dimensional reticulation, as in the 

 preceding species, but, in keeping with the thinness of the 

 lamelhe, to reticulate in a single plane. 



Loc. — South coast of Australia ; exact locality unknown 

 ("Endeavour"). 



ECHINOCLATHRIA CARTERI, RicUcv and Dcudv- 



(Fig. 65.) 

 1887. Echinoclathria cai'teri, Ridley and Dendy, "Challenger" 

 Monaxonida, 1887, p. 162, PI. xxix., figs. 12, 12a; 

 PI. xxxi., figs. 3, 3a. 

 1907. Echinoclathria macropora, W'hitelegge, Austr. Mus. 

 Mem., iv., 10, 1907, p. 504. 

 [Not Echinoclathria macropora^ W'hitelegge, Rec. 

 Austr. Mus., iv., 2, 1901, pp. 89, 117.] 



Sponge {unless young) ramose, probably astipitatc and 

 basally encrusting ; branches cylindrical, growing to a 

 considerable length. Lamella; thin; superficial lamcllce, 

 as a rule, disposed edgewise to the exterior. Superficial 

 "cell-apertures'' rounded or polygonal, 2 to j mm. in 

 ividth. Skeleton a very irregular small-meshed reticula- 

 tion, apparently in one plane (as in E. rotunda), consist- 

 ing of pauci- and uni-spicular {or, rarely, aspicular) 

 spongin-fibres, together ivith a few multispicular fibres 

 poor in spongin. The outlines of the fibres are indistinct, 

 owing to iiiterstitial membranes, and the pattern of the 

 skeleton much obscured by the abundance of irregularly 

 scattered {principal and auxiliary) spicides. Echinating 

 styli plentiful, almost entirely restricted to the exterior 

 aspect of the fibres. Megascleres : — (/.) Principal styli 

 straight, subconical when fidly groxvn, slightly fusiform 

 in their early stages, g^ to about 150 }i in length, and at 

 the most 10 ]i in diameter; {ii.) somewhat tornotely 

 pointed, cyli7rdrical, auxiliary styli or subtylostyli, rang- 

 ing in length from (rarely less than) 120 to 160 }i, and. in 

 diameter up to 2.§ ]i. Microscleres : — IsochelcB palmate^, 

 fairly plentiful, 9 to 15 (usually not more than ij) ji long. 



In the Australian Museum are some half-dozen specimens of 

 a sponge which I identify as Echinoclathria cavteri. These 

 agree among themselves, but differ slightly in four respects 

 from the original specimens as described. In the latter, the 

 "anastomosing trabecular usually present a flat surface to- 

 wards the outside," the maximum size of the principal styli is 

 132 X 9 |t, the auxiliary spicules are basally subtylote and the 

 chela: attain a length of i5;(; in the present specimens the 

 superficial trabeculie (although often disposed obliquely to the 



