NO. 1/ NEW SPONGES— DE LAUBENFELS 25 



pores and oscules are notably difficult to make out for this genus, in 

 which the pores, at least, are usually conspicuous, and the oscules also 

 frequently striking. The endosome is precisely that typical of the 

 genus. The fascicular, main, or ascending tracts are made of spongin 

 and cored with some detritus; their individual fibers are about 170 fi 

 in diameter. The rounded intrafascicular meshes are about 100 it. by 

 200 /A. The total diameter of the fascicular tracts is about 800 /a. The 

 meshes between them are i to 3 mm in diameter. The flesh is moder- 

 ately crowded with filaments as typical of the genus Hircinia, diameter 

 about 3 fj., the tylote heads are nearly spherical, 10 p. in diameter. 



Schmidt (1862, p. 34) described a Mediterranean species as Filifera 

 variabilis. His description is almost unrecognizable, but his reference 

 to violet color is notable. Schultze (1879, P- 12) described a species 

 as Hircinia variabilis, which is presumably the same as that of 

 Schmidt, but the color is not violet. Throughout the West Indian 

 region there occurs commonly a species that answers in general to 

 the description of variabilis Schultze, though it is exceedingly doubt- 

 ful whether this is variabilis of Schmidt, in which case a new name 

 will need to be established for the later species. For this purpose the 

 name varianta may be employed. From this species ramosa may be 

 separated, first in the extreme ramose form characteristic of the latter, 

 varianta being usually almost massive, although sometimes prolonged 

 into cylindrical projections. A much more important distinction is 

 that ramosa is lipostomous, whereas varianta typically possesses con- 

 spicuous and rather numerous oscules. 



POLYFIBROSPONGIA Bowerbank 

 POLYFIBROSPONGIA ECHINA, n. sp. 



Holotype. — U.S.N.M. no. 22315; from station 26, latitude i8°3o' 

 20" N., long. 66°22'05" W., to latitude i8°3o'3o" N., longitude 66°23' 

 05" W., February 7, 1933, 33 to 40 fathoms. 



This specimen comprises a basal mass about 5 by 7 cm, from which 

 arise processes 1.5 cm in diameter and 2 to 4 cm high. The surface 

 is black exteriorly over a gray interior. The consistency is very 

 spongy. The surface is thrown into tubercules or conules about 2 mm 

 high and 4 mm apart, the apices of each of which may again be 

 divided into 2 to 5 minute processes or protruding fiber ends. The 

 pores could not be made out, and only one obvious oscule can be 

 found ; it is terminal, 2 mm in diameter. The endosome is densely 

 reticulate, with small fibers of clear spongin, not at all cored, which 

 make polygonal meshes much like those of the genus Hippospongia 



