GEODINELLA ROBUSTA. 219 



Tierreich I found it quite impossible to place this sponge in any of the then 

 existing genera, and, carrying out Thiele's suggestion, established the new genus 

 Geodinella for it.' 



There can be no doubt that the sponges above described belong to this genus. 

 From the only species of it hitherto known, Geodinella (Geodia ?) cylindrica, they 

 differ in having a much stouter body, megascleres twice as large, and different 

 euasters. Geodia cylindrica has oxysphaerasters (pycnasters) 7-8 fi in diameter 

 only; in G. robuMa besides the strong>'losphaerasters 7-13 fi in diameter, which 

 appear to correspond to the pycnasters of G. cylindrica, oxyasters attaining a 

 diameter of 30-38 // are present in large numbers. Geodia cylindrica has been 

 found only in Japan, G. robusta on the Pacific coast of North America. 



' R. v. Lenden/eU. Tierreich, 1903, 19, p. 117. 



