GEODIA VARIOSPICULOSA. 



233 



Large oxyasters: from five to fourteen, conical, in small ones smooth, in large 

 ones spined, rays, 1-1.5 // thick; total diameter 16-30 /<. Large oxysphaerasters : 

 connected with the former by transitions; from fifteen to twenty rays, 1.2-3 /j. 

 thick, with sparse, stout spines near their end; centrum 3-8 /«, whole aster 22-28 

 H, in diameter. Small strongylosphaerasters : from eight to twenty, usually equal, 

 rarely unequal, truncate or rounded, spined rays, 0.8-1.3 n thick; centrum 1.6- 

 3 fx, whole aster 5.5-7.3 //(Ldf., 1888, 3-5 (i), in diameter. Sterrasters: 140-160 

 by 127-144 by 100-108 fi. 



Southwestern Pacific. East coast of Australia. 



Geodia variospiculosa Thiele. 

 Zoologica, 189S, 24, p. 10, plate 6a-l, 7a, b. Lendenfeld, Tierrcich, 1903, 19, p. 107. Ante, p. 55. 



Massive tuberous. Inspirit: dirty white to light brown. 



Large choanosomal amphioxes: 1-3.9 mm. by 20-50 fi. Large choanosomal 

 lylostyles or styles: 1.35 mm. by 25-50 /<; tylc 30-70 (observed by me in vars. 

 intermedia and viicraster, not mentioned by Thiele, 1898, in vars. typica and clavi- 

 gera). Large dermal tylostyles: 1.6 mm. by 11 /x, tyle 18 n (present only in var. 

 clavigera). Minute dermal styles: 200-320 by 3-7 /(. Orthoplagiotriaenes: 

 rhabdome 1.25-3 mm. by 30-65 /t at cladome and 43-70 /i at thickest point, a 

 little below; clades 220-760 p. long; clade-angles 99-111°. Dichotriaenes: 

 not numerous; rhabdome 1.25-2.6 mm. by 30-75 p at cladome and 45-90 p 

 at thickest point, a little below; main clades 150-340, end clades 140-400 p 

 long; main clade-angles 90° or a little over. Mesoprotriaenes: rhabdome 2.5- 

 3.2 mm. by 7-20 p; clades 60-220 p long; clade-angles 30-63°; cpirhabd 25- 

 95 p long. Large anatriaenes: rhabdome 3.6-5.2 mm. by 12-46 p; clades 30- 

 180 p long; clade-angles 22-70°. Minute dermal anaclades; rhabdome 205-560 p 

 by 1-4 p at cladome, and 2-7.5 p at thickest point below the middle; clades 3- 

 13 /( long; clade-angles 38-54°. 



Large choanosomal oxyasters: from one to eleven conical, distally spined rays, 

 9-135 p long, 1-8 p thick; total diameter in var. intermedia and var. micraster 

 17-180 p. Oxysphaerasters: from fourteen to twenty-two rays, 1-2 p thick; 

 centrum 5-6 p, whole aster 14-30 p, in diameter. Small strongylosphaerasters: 

 from ten to nineteen equal or unequal rays 0.5-2 p thick; centrum 2.4 /(, whole 

 aster 5-8 p, in diameter. Sterrasters: 80-133 p long, 65-116 p broad, in vars. 

 intermedia and micraster 70-90 p thick. 



Northwestern Pacific. Japan, off Honshu Island. "Albatross" Stations 

 3746, 3758; westward of Yogashima. 



