EEPORT ON THE TETRACTINELLIDA. 
101 
Characella stellettodes (Carter). 
Pachastrella stellettodes, Carter, Ann. and Mag. Nat. Hist., ser. 5, vol. xv. p. 403, pi. xiv. fig. 
14, 1885. 
Sponge. — Form (?). 
Spicules. — I. Megascleres. 1. Oxea, 4'2 mm. long. 2. Calihrops, actines 1‘15 mm. 
long. 
II. Microscleres. 3. Microxea, minutely sj)ined, 0'127 mm. long. 4. Spiraster or 
Amphiaster. The oxeas radiate in bundles from a common centre outwards, the calthrops 
lies in the ectosome, with three actines facial, and the fourth, which is shorter than the 
others, directed inwards. 
Hahitat. — Japan, olf Misaki, at the entrance to the Bay of Tokio. 
Remarks. — The arrangement of the calthrops of this sponge appears to ally it with 
Characella ; the radial distribution of the oxeas is not met with in Characella aspera ; 
whether it occurs in Characella agassizi or not I am uncertain. 
Characella agassizi, n. sp. 
Pachastrella connectens, var., O. Schmidt, Spong. Meerb. Mexico, p. 68, 1880. 
Sponge. — “A large plate-like fragment” (0. Sch.). 
Spicules. — I. Megascleres. 1. Oxea, stout, fusiform, slightly curved, somewhat 
anisoactinate, 3 '2 by OTl mm. 2. Orthotrisene, rhabdome and cladi of about the same 
size, conical, oxeate, from 0'5 to 0725 mm. in length. 
II. Microscleres. 3. Microxea, slender, smooth, curved, rarely centrotylote, from 
0"225 to 0’55 by 0'005 mm. 4. Amphiaster, axis fusiform, produced into a slender 
spine beyond each terminal whorl of spines, more or fewer of the spines frequently 
reduced to mere tubercles, but usually long and slender; axis 0'004 mm. long, spines 
0'018 mm.; total length of the spicule 0’035 mm. 
Habitat. — Grenada, 164 fathoms. 
Remarks. — Schmidt gives no information by which this sponge can be identified, 
and at first I placed it by itself as of unknown genus and species ; subsequently, owing 
to the kindness of Professor Perrier, I had an opportunity of examining a fragment of 
the original specimen ; it has the same general appearance as the sponge which Carter 
described as Pachastrella amygdaloides {vide Pcecillastra amygdaloides, p. 99), but 
since trisenes are entirely absent from the choanosome it must be referred to Characella-, 
in the general character of its spicules it ajDproaches Characella aspera, SoUas. 
