Bponges from South Australia. 365 



Ohs. There are two specimens of this sponge, both of which 

 appear to have been cut off from much larger specimens, too 

 large probably in their entirety to be put into the opening of 

 the tin case in which they were sent, so that my description 

 has been taken from that which appears to afford the most 

 characteristic features ; the other is much larger and more 

 ragged, that is irregularly grown over on the surface, which 

 thus in some places gives it a thickness of 3 inches. Its 

 colour when fresh is stated to be "buff-brown, with tints of 

 red." The conuli where uniformly distributed are 2-12ths in. 

 apart, but where irregularly scattered sometimes 5-12ths in. 

 apart, with great prominence and depth between them, which, 

 being filled up by the dermal reticulated fibrous structure, 

 at first sight, as before stated, gives them very much the aspect 

 of a sponge belonging to the conulated Hircinida or Aplysinida, 

 excepting that there are no foreign substances in the fibre 

 and very small epithelial cells in the dermis. Depth of both 

 specimens 19 fath. 



33. Acanthellina parviconulata. 



Sessile, erect, tall, lobate, fenestrated, more or less regu- 

 larly covered with short thorn-like conuli. Consistence soft 

 on the surface, dense in the interior. Colour when fresh 

 " grey, tinged with terra-cotta red," now grey only. Surface 

 extremely irregular and jagged from the presence of prolife- 

 rous growths, covered with short thorn-like conuli supporting 

 a fibro-reticulated dermis which conceals their points, thus 

 rendering them round, and fills up the depressed intervals 

 between them, very much like that of a Hircinia, only the 

 conuli are much smaller and more numerous than in the fore- 

 going specimen ; hence the designation ^^ parviconulatay 

 Vents numerous and large, especially over one of the erect 

 lobes. Spicules of two forms, but very much alike in size, 

 viz. one acuate and the other acerate, the latter abruptly 

 pointed, each averaging about 60 by 2 to 3-6000ths. Struc- 

 ture soft on the surface, where the dermis, although of finer 

 texture, is otherwise the same as that described under Acan- 

 thella hircinojtsis^ covering the same kind of densely-packed 

 spiculiferous white skeletal framework. Size of specimen 

 6 in. high by 2 X 1|- in. horizontally. 



Depth 18 fath. 



34. Acanthellina rugoUneata. 



Somewhat compressed, massive, sessile, contracted towards 

 the base, furrowed and correspondingly ridged with rough 

 linear elevations. Consistence extremely soft. Colour when 



Ann. (& Mag. N. Hist. Ser. 5. Vol xvi, 25 



