from the PMlijpipme Islands. 113 



fusiform, inflated and spined at the ends, also inflated more or 

 less and smooth in the centre, where the central canal has a 

 hexaradiate cross, opposite to the ends of which there may be 

 two or four tubercles ; this is the staple form of the spicule of 

 this sponge ; and by intercrossing each other in bundles at 

 and about right angles they support the dermal reticular struc- 

 ture above ; i, nail- or crucial-headed, scanty ; arms smooth, 

 sti-aight and pointed, the shaft a little longer than the rest — 

 among the foregoing, but chiefly visible at the base of the 

 sponge on the outside about the point where the stem joins the 

 cup— supporting, together with a, the dermal reticular structure; 

 c, hexaradiate, minute^ smooth, each arm of the cross, imme- 

 diately after leaving the centre, separating into two long, diver- 

 gent spines, in myriads throughout the sponge. 2nd, of the 

 pore-area : c?, nail- or crucial-headed, arms parting at right 

 angles from the centre, more or less inflated at the ends, and 

 spined throughout; shaft a little longer than the rest, also spined 

 and more or less pointed ; arms of this spicule spreading out 

 horizontally to reach the centres of the adjoining crosses, and 

 thus together forming the rectangular dermal network. 3rd, of 

 the stem : e, the same as a, forming a felt-like mass, in the 

 midst of which are the long fistular canals; /, the nail-head 

 spicule by chiefly found about the part mentioned ; g^ large, 

 smooth, thick spicules 4-12ths of an inch in length, acuate, 

 inflated at both ends, fusiform and acerate respectively, dis- 

 tributed longitudinally over the surface of the stem. 



Size of specimen : widest part of head 3^ inches, aperture 

 2| by 1| inches ; depth of cup 2| inches ; length of head out- 

 side 3| inclies ; greatest thickness of walls 14-1 2ths of an inch ; 

 length of stem 3| inches, diameter of stem 7-12ths. 



Hah. Marine, growing erect in sandy mud. 



Loc. Cebu, one of the Philippine Islands (Dr. A. B. Meyer). 



Ohs. This is entirely a new genus, although, as will here- 

 after be seen, some of its spicules are almost identical with 

 those of BosseJla ]3liilipiyinensis.i Gray (to be described here- 

 after), which comes from the same locality and is also cup-like, 

 but is fixed to the bottom by a number of bundles, or tail- 

 like extensions from the base, of long, stiff" spicules, bearing 

 at their extremities the four-armed recurved head which I 

 have already given (' Annals ' for June 1872, p. 414, pi. xxi.) 

 as an essential character of this genus. 



