258 
PACIFIC SCIENCE, Vol. V, July, 1951 
DESCRIPTIONS OF SPECIES 
Spongia Oceania de Laubenfels 
Described in de Laubenfels (1950: 7). 
This species appears to be common 
throughout the Hawaiian Islands. Hiatt 
found it at Halape in 1945. I found it at Ka- 
alualu and Honaunau, and, with the viewing 
box, observed numerous specimens (not 
collected), especially along the Kona coast 
from Honaunau to Kailua. 
Haliclona permollis (Bowerbank) 
de Laubenfels 
Fig. 2 
This species is represented by U. S. 
National Museum, Register Number 22791 
(Halape No. I-106b), collected by Hiatt in 
August, 1945, at Halape, on the undersides 
of rocks at the seaward edge of a rocky shore, 
depth less than 1 meter. I have found this 
species also on the island of Oahu. 
This is a soft incrusting sponge, usually 
lavender in life. There is absolutely no dermal 
specialization of skeleton— the endosomal 
structures merely stop short. There are no ex- 
tensive subdermal canals. 
The skeleton comprises only one sort of 
spicule, an oxea 3 by 100 to 7 by 105)U- These 
are often arranged so as to outline polygonal 
meshes, each side just one spicule long. The 
spicules are joined to one another by spongin 
at the corners of these meshes. This structure 
is called isodictyal. In places there may also be 
tracts, almost fibers, of parallel rows of 
spicules held together by spongin. 
1 1 I I I I I I I I I 
Fig. 2. Haliclona permollis: spicule, from a camera 
lucida drawing. (The scale shows 100 microns by tens.) 
This species was first described as hodictya 
permollishy Bowerbank (1866: 278) and trans- 
ferred to Haliclona by de Laubenfels (1936: 
40). 
Reniera aquaeducta Schmidt 
Fig- 3 
This species is represented by U. S. 
National Museum, Register Number 22792 
(My No. H. 79), collected May 15, 1948, at 
Keaukaha, at low tide, barely submerged. I 
found it again on May 16, 1948, at Kaalualu, 
and Hiatt took it in August, 1945, at Halape. 
This sponge consists of a number of tubes 
20 to 25 mm. high, 3 to 9 mm. diameter, with 
walls 0.8 to 2 mm. thick. In life it was bluish 
violet and of spongy consistency. The surface 
is smooth. 
The skeleton comprises only oxeas, 5 by 
120 to 7 by lOO^t. These are arranged much as 
in the preceding species. 
Fig. 3. Reniera aquaeducta: spicules, from camera 
lucida drawings. (The scale shows 100 microns by tens.) 
This species was first described by Schmidt 
(1862: 72) from the Mediterranean as Reniera 
aquaeductus. It has since been recorded from 
various localities in both the North and South 
Atlantic, but this appears to be the first record 
for the Pacific Ocean. The species is probably 
cosmopolitan, but is nowhere abundant. An 
important discussion of it may be found in 
Burton (1930: 511). 
Xytopsiphum meganese new species 
Fig, 4 
The type specimen of this species is U. S. 
National Museum, Register Number 22782 
(My No. H. 83), collected May 16, 1948, at 
Kaalualu, at low tide, barely submerged. 
This sponge is a paper-thin incrustation 
spreading laterally indefinitely. In life it was 
yellow-gray to ochre in color. There is a 
definite dermis with its contained spicules, 
tangentially arranged. 
