ERYLUS SOLLASII. 



289 



Race I. 



Rhabd megascleres 425-880 by 8-23 n; centrotyle microrhabds 30-78 by 



2- 5 fx and a tyle 3-6 n; triaenes with simple clades only, or with simple and 

 branched clades, either the former or the latter predominating; rhabdome 104- 

 470 by 8-22 /x, cladome 160-490 /< broad; acanthtylasters with from three to 

 fourteen rays, 20-36 n in diameter; aspidasters, regular or irregular, with from 

 four to six ray-spines, 95-130 by 55-75 by 7.4-12.2 /<, average proportion of 

 length to breadth to thickness 100 : 56.8 : 8.8. This race comprises four forms, 

 designated. A, B, C, and D. 



South Molokai, northeast Hawaii. 



Race II. 



Rhabd megascleres 450-760 by 9-20 fv, centrotyle microrhabds 39-61 by 

 3.4-4.3 /<, tyle 3.5-5.5 /«; triaenes with simple and with branched clades, the 

 former predominating ; rhabdome 240 400 by 12-20 /<, cladome 170 450 /i broad; 

 acanthtylasters with from two to fourteen rays, 22-38 /j. in diameter; aspidasters 

 mostly regular, with up to ten ray-spines, 120-156 by 60-76 by 9.2-11.4 n, 

 average proportion of length to breadth to thickness 100 : 49.8 : 7.6. 



South Molokai. 



Race III. 



Rhabd megascleres 720-980 by 12-22 /<; centrotyle microrhabds 30-44 by 



3- 4.5 n, tyle 3.5-5.5 //; triaenes with simple and branched clades, the latter 

 predominating; rhabdome 180-520 by 13-22 p., cladome 280-550 ft broad; 

 acanthtylasters with from four to twelve rays, 25-36 fi in diameter; aspidasters, 

 mostly regular, with from four to six ray-spines, 128-153 by 71-82 by 12-14 /i, 

 average proportion of length to breadth to thickness 100 : 57.7: 10. 



Northeast coast of Hawaii. 



The character of the canal-system and the spiculation show that these 

 sponges belong to the genus Erylus. From all the species of this genus, with the 

 exception of the one from Freemantle, S. W. Australia, which Carter^ erroneously 

 identified as Erylus (Stelletta) euastrum 0. Schmidt and for which Sollas^ estab- 

 lished Erylus lendenfeldi, they differ very considerably. Sollas's description 

 indicated, and a reexamination of the type, kindly placed at my disposal by 



' H. J. Carter. Report on specimens dredged up from the Gulf of Manaar. Ann. mag. nat. hist., 

 1880, sor. 5, 6, p. 1.36. 



' W. J. Sollas. Tetractinellida. Rept. voy. "Challenger," 1888, 25, p. 239. 



