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, estabhshed 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 chfferent 

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

 only; in G. robusta besides the strongylosphaerasters 7-13 n in diameter, which 

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

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

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



' R. V. Lendenfeld. Tierreich, 1903, 19, p. 117. 



