HOLASCELLA ANCORATA. 
37 
tinguished in the Euplectellinae. The certain presence of discohexasters and 
the probable absence of parietal apertures preclude the sponges described above 
being placed in Euplectella. From the known species of Malacosaccus, which 
are soft, flexible, and sac- and cup-shaped, they differ by being hard and brittle 
narrow tubes. From all the known species of Flolascus, except Holascus undu- 
latus F. E. Schulze 1 and the species collected by the Challenger and mentioned 
by F. E. Schulze 2 as Holascus sp., they differ by possessing discohexasters. 
The spicules of H. undulatus described by F. E. Schulze ( loc . cit., 1899, p. 17) as 
discohexasters differ, however, considerably from the true discohexasters found 
in the sponges described above and have by F. E. Schulze himself lately 3 been 
declared to be calicocomes, and not discohexasters, so that this species also does 
not appear to be allied to the sponges above described. Their only closer allies 
appear to be the species of Holascus referred to and the new Pacific species 
described as Holascella ancorata, and H. euonyx. 
As they differ from all the hitherto described and named species of Holascus 
by possessing discohexasters, hemidiscohexasters, or microdiscohexactines, and 
as the absence or presence of such spicules should be considered as a difference 
sufficient for generic distinction, I name the new genus Holascella, on account 
of its similarity to and historic derivation from Holascus. 
From Holascus sp. Schulze and the sponge here described as Holascella 
ancorata, Holascella taraxacum differs by being destitute of floricomes, and 
from the latter also and from the sponge here described as Holascella euonyx by 
the absence of discohexactines and hemidiscohexasters with large anchor-like, 
terminal spine- verticils. From H. ancorata and H. euonyx it is also distin- 
guished by its principals being mostly hexactines. 
Holascella ancorata, sp. nov. 
Plate 23, figs. 4-25; Plate 24, figs. 1-9. 
One specimen of this species was trawled in the Eastern Tropical Pacific 
at Station 4649 on 10 November, 1904; 5° 17' S., 85° 19.5' W.; depth 4086 m. 
(2235 f.) ; it grew on a bottom of sticky, gray mud; the bottom-temperature was 
35.4°. 
It has discomicroscleres with long, strongly recurved terminal spines 
not joined at the base to a terminal tyle (“disc”). The end-rays (rays) of 
1 F. E. Schulze. Amerikanische Hexactinelliden, 1899, p. 15, taf. 3, figs. 1, 2. 
2 F. E. Schulze. Rept. Voy. Challenger, 1887, 21 , pi. 15, figs. 14-23. 
3 F ■ E. Schulze. Hexactinellida. Ergeb. Deutsch. tiefsee-exped., 1904, 4 , p. 130, 131 , 
