GEODIA ATAXASTRA 237 



Large choanosomal oxyasters : with or without centrum; total diameter 

 15-40 fi. Subcortical oxysphaerastei's: rays short and stout, centrum very large; 

 total diameter 12 /i. Irregular spJiaerasters (ataxasters) : rays very short; 

 total diameter 3 5 /t. StenaMers : 53-80 by 45-60 fi. 



Northwestern Pacific. Jai)an. 



Geodia hilgendorfi var. typica, var. nov. 

 Geotlia hilgrn lorfi Thiele, Zoologica, 1S9S, 24, p. 8, plate 1, fig. 4, plate 6, fig. 4 a-h. 



Oxyasters: with centrum, 15-20 ju in diameter. Without particularly small, 

 irregular sphaerasters in the interior. Sterrasters: 80 by 60 pi. 



Northwestern Pacific. Japan ; probably from the vicinity of Enoshima. 



Geodia hilgendorfi var. granosa Thiele. 

 Zoologica. 189S, 24, p. 9, plate 6, fig. 4 i, k. 



Oxyasters: without centnmi, 40 /< in diameter. Small irregular sphaer- 

 asters only 3 n in diameter in the interior. Sterrasters: 53 by 45 /i. 



Northwestern Pacific. Japan ; probably from the vicinity of Enoshima. 



Geodia ataiastra Lendenfeld. 

 Ante, p. 79. 



Spherical or irregularly massive, tuberous or lobose. In spirit: wliite to 

 lilac-gray. 



Large choanosomal rhabds: mostly amphioxes, but also some amphistron- 

 gyles and styles; 0.6-2.8 mm. by 12-43 /t. Minute dermal rhabds: mostly am- 

 phioxes, but also some styles, 120-215 by 3-7 pL. Orthoplagiotriaenes: rhabdome 

 1.3-2.3 mm. by 29-70 /i; clades 130-290 /< long; dade-angles 85-116°. Meso- 

 proclades: mostly triaene; rhabdome 1.6-3.4 mm. by 7-10 fi; clades 25-80 /« 

 long; clade-angles 25-58°; epirhabd 28-73 /i long. Large anatriaenes: rhabd- 

 ome: 2-3.1 mm. by 3-12 fi; clades 17-68 pt long; clade-angles 20-55°. 

 Minute dermal anaclades: observed only in var. angustana; rhabdome 190- 

 340 by 0.5-2 /i; clades 2-6 /^i long; clade-angles 33-57°. 



Large oxyasters: from two. to eleven rays, 0.6-2.6 p thick; total diameter 

 15-50 /(, in inverse proportion to the ray-number. Oxysphaerasters icith slender 

 rays: from eighteen to twenty-eight conical, pointed, distally spined raj's 0.7- 

 1 .3 // thick ; centrum 2.4-5.5 /«, whole aster 8-14.4 /j, in diameter. Oxysphaerasters 

 with smooth, thi£k rays: observed only in var. latana; about eighteen conical, 

 blunt, smooth rays, 2 /( thick; centmm about 4.5 /(, whole aster about 13 /(, in 



