230 



GEODIA EOSASTER. 



Geodia nux (Selenka). 



Stellctta nux Selenka, Zcitschr. wiss. zool., 1867, 17, p. 569, plate 35, figs. 11-13. 

 Cijdonium nux. Sollas, Rept. voy. "Challenger," 1888, 25, p. 260. 



Spherical with wart-shaped protuberances. In spirit : brown on the surface, 

 yellowish in the interior. 



Aiwphistrongyles: 1.83 mm. by 38.7 /«. Dichotriaenes: (Sollas, 1888). 

 Plagiotriaenes (Selenka, 1867) clades short. 



Large oxysphaerasters: rays numerous, conical smooth; centrum 51.6 

 whole aster 96 ft in diameter. Small tylosphaeraster (Sollas, 1888) : total diameter 

 16 />.. Sterrasters (Sollas, 1888): 90 by 77.4 /t. 



This is a very doubtful species. Ridley ^ was inclined to consider it as a 

 monaxonid (Tethya, that is, Donatia), while I did not include it in my synopsis 

 of the Tetraxonia (Tierreich, 1903, 19). Of course, if all the spicules found by 

 Sollas in the spicule-preparation examined by him, really belong to it, it is a 

 geodine tetraxonid, but as one frequently finds foreign spicules in such prepa- 

 rations, and as Selenka himself does not mention sterrasters, the status of this 

 sponge must remain doubtful. I therefore place Geodia nux here with all 

 reserve. 



Western Pacific. Samoa Islands. 



Geodia eosaster (Sollas). 

 Lendenfeld, Tierreich, 1903, 19, p. 110. 



Cydonium eosaster Sollas, Rept. voy. "Challenger," 1888, 25, p. 225, plate 20, fig. 22, plate 21, figs. 15-29. 

 Non Geodia eosaster Topsent, 1904. 



Spherical. In spirit: yellowish white. 



Large choanosomal amphioxes: 2.856 mm. by 32 Minute dermal am- 

 phioxes: 250-300 by 3.5 //. Dichotriaenes: rhabdome 3.57 mm. by 47 /x; main 

 clades 1 10 /<, end clades 210 ft long. Protriaenes (? mesoprotriaenes) : rhabdome 

 5 mm. by 19 /t at the cladome, and 26 p. at the thickest point near the middle; 

 clades 190 /x long; cladome 190 p. broad. Anatriaenes: rhabdome 8.21 mm. 

 by 29 p; clades 95 p long; cladome 190 p broad and 48 p high. 



Large oxyasters: four to numerous rays; total diameter 27.6-39 p. Large 

 oxysphaerasters: rays exceedingly short and broad, appearing as low conical 

 protuberances of the very large centrum; total diameter 19.8-31 p. Small 

 strongylosphaerasters: rays conical or cylindrical, truncate; total diameter 10 p. 

 Sterrasters: spheroidal; 64-70 p in diameter. 



' S. 0. Ridley. Spongiida. Rept. voy. "Alert," 1884, p. 472, foot-note. 



