GEODINELLA ROBUSTA. 205 



GEODINELLA Lendenfeld. 



Without regular triaenes. The tetraxon megascleres are monaene or diaene 

 teloclades with reduced clades, and occur not only in the superficial part of the 

 sponge but also in the interior. 



There are in the "Albatross" collection four specimens of Geodinella. 

 These belong to one new species, which is divided into three varieties. 



Geodinella robusta, sp. iiov. 



megasterra. var. nov. 



Plate 1, figs. 1-4, 16, 18-24; Plate 2, figs. 1, 3; Plate 3, figs. 3, 4, 7, 9; Plate 4, figs. 1, 4-7, 13, 21, 22. 



carolae, var. nov. 

 Plate 1, figs. 5-12, 17; Plat« 2, figs. 4-7, 9-11; Plate 3, fig. 1; Plate 4, figs. 2, 3, 8-12, 14-20. 



megaclada, var. nov. 

 Plate 1, figs. 13-15; Plate 2, figs. 2, S; Plate 3, figs. 2, 5, 6, 8; Plate 4, figs. 23-25. 



I establish this species for four spirit specimens, three fairly complete, one 

 fragmentary, collected at Stations 2946, 4199, tmd 4228 on the Pacific slope of 

 North America. On account of their having larger spicules than the only other 

 known species of this genus I have named the species robusta. Although these 

 sponges are similar enough to be considered as representati^^es of the same 

 species, only two are really systematically identical, while the other two differ 

 to some extent from these two and also from each other. It therefore seems 

 advisable to consider these four sponges as three separate varieties. The most 

 conspicuous differences between them are found in the shape and size of their 

 sterrasters and the clades of their teloclades. In two specimens, one taken 

 in Charlotte Sound, Vancouver Island, the other in Naha Bay, Behm Canal, S. E. 

 Alaska (Stations 4199, 4228), the teloclades have short clades and the sterr- 

 asters are smaller and nearly always regularly ellipsoidal. In the other two 

 specimens the sterrasters are larger and more diversified in shape, three-lobed 

 ones not infrequently occurring besides the ellipsoidal ones. The variety I 

 establish for the specimens from Stations 4199 and 4228 with short clades and 

 small sterrasters, I name var. carolae after the locality. Queen Charlotte Sound, 

 where one of them was found. In one of the two remaining specimens the 

 sterrasters are not so large and the clades of the teloclades considerably longer 

 then in the other; the variety with longer clades which was also found at 

 Station 4228 I name var. megaclada. The tliird variety, from Station 2946, the 

 sterrasters of which are larger than those of the other two, larger in fact than 

 those of any sponge in the collection, I name var. viegasterra. 



