1 1 1 .— N O T E S ON FRESHWATER SPONGES. 

 By N. Annandale, D.Sc, Superintendent. Indian Musewn. 



VIII.— ^PreivIminary Notice of a Coixection from Western 

 India, with descriptions of two new vSpecies. 



The following sponges were collected in November last in the 

 Cwalior Tank, Bombaj^, in the lake and in a small pond at Igat- 

 puri in the Western Ghats, and in the Godaveri Ri\'er at Nasik on 

 the eastern side of the same range of hills . — 



Spongilla laaistris, auctorum, in a pond at Igatpuri. 



,, cinerea, Carter, on stones in the Godaveri at Nasik. 

 ,, carteri, Bowerbank, in different situations at Bom- 

 bay and Igatpuri. 

 -y,-- bombayensis , Carter, on stones in the lake at Igat- 

 puri, 

 „ indica, sp. nov., on stones in the Godaveri at Nasik, 

 ,, lapidosa, sp. nov., together with the last and on 

 stones at Igatpuri. 

 Ephydatia indica, Annandale, on stones in a pond at Igatpuri, 



The specimens of Spongilla lacustris are small, but typical ; 

 those of 5, cinerea^ S. carteri, S. bombayensis and Ephydatia indica 

 I have compared with types or co-types. A full account of the 

 collection will be published later, but the following preliminary 

 descriptions will serve as diagnoses of the two new Spongillce repre- 

 sented. The types are in the collection of the Indian Museum, but 

 CO- types will be sent to the British Museum, 



Spongilla indica^ sp, nov. 



Closely allied to 5. suinatrajia, Weber. 



Sponge forming a very thin layer, of a bright green or pale grey 

 colour ; surface smooth, minutely hispid ; pores and oscula 

 inconspicuous, the latter approached in some instances by 

 radiating furrows ; subdermal space small ; texture compact, 

 rather hard. Skeleton incoherent, somewhat massive owing 

 to the large number of spicules present ; spicules forming tri- 

 angular meshes and occasionally arranged in vertical lines 

 several spicules broad but without spongin. Skeleton spicules 

 straight or nearly straight, slender, cylindrical, amphistrongy- 

 lous, uniformly covered with minute, sharp spines; flesh 

 spicules slender, sharply pointed, straight or curved, irregu- 

 larly covered with relatively long, straight, sharp spines, 



