622 COLLECTIONS PROM IHE WESTERN INDIAN OCEAN. 



44. Suberites, sp. 



A dull red-brown, smooth, incrusting film, about "5 millim. thick ; 

 the closely-set spinulate spicules measure about "8 by '02 millim. ; 

 the head is distinct, suboval, approaching a globular form, and 

 of about the same diameter as the shaft. No other spicule. The 

 species is perhaps nearly allied to S. antarctieus, Carter. 



Hab. SeycheUe Islands, 12 fms. 



45. Vioa schmidti. 



Vioa johnstoni, var., Schmidt, Spong. Ail. Geb. p. 5, 



Vioa schmidti, Sidley, P. Z. S. 1881, p. 130. 



Vioa Schmidtii, Carter, Ann. 8f Mag. N. H. 1882, ix. p. 354. 



The specimen agrees with Schmidt's species from the Bocche di 

 Cattaro (Adriatic), which Mr. Carter and myself have agreed in 

 considering distinct from the original V. johnstoni from Sebenico. 

 As the species has never been fully described, I give a description 

 of the present specimen. 



Main cavities formed by sponge botryoidal, wide. Colour of sponge 

 bright pink to crimson. Vent- and pore-areas '5 to 1*5 millim. in 

 diameter. Sarcode pale pink, for the most part very diffusely coloured, 

 transparent. Spicules : — (1) Spinulate, smooth, straight or slightly 

 curved, tapering gradually to sharp point ; head large, oval, longitu- 

 dinally elongate, distinguished from shaft by distinct neck, the 

 diameter of which is '006 millim. ; length of spicule "28 millim., 

 diameter of shaft '008 mUlim., of head (transverse) '0095 millim. 

 (2) Spinispirular, stout, with 4-6 sharp bends; spines sharp, 

 arranged in regular uniserial spirals, 5 or 6 to a bend, length the 

 same as thickness of the shaft ; size of spicule -05 by "006 miUim. 

 (excluding spines). (3) Spinispirular, slender, with about 8-10 

 gradual bends, 5 or 6 to a bend ; size of spicule -O?-? by "002 to -0042 

 millim. (excluding spines). Spicule no. 1 is generally loosely scat- 

 tered ; no. 3 sometimes aggregated in dense masses. 



Hah. Eagle Island, Amirante group, 10 fms. (in base of lobate 

 Madrepord). 



Distribution. Adriatic (Schmidt). 



The stout spinispirular appears to be normally confined to that side 

 of the sponge which is in contact with the matrix, the slender one to 

 occupy the internal sarcode ; but they also occur mixed. Although 

 the two kinds of spinispirular spicule approach each other somewhat 

 nearly in the diameters of their adult forms, yet the longer spines 

 and the constantly inferior length and inferior number of bends, 

 and the superior sharpness of the bends, in the stouter form suf- 

 ficiently distinguish it from the slender form. A further argument 

 against the possibility of the two forms being merely stages of 

 growth of one spicule is derived from the fact that the more slender 

 forin (which, from the analogy of siliceous sponge-spicules generally, 

 would on this hypothesis be the young form of the other) is actually 



