338 
PACIFIC SCIENCE, Vol. VIII, July, 1954 
The Honolulu specimen showed a number 
of oscules, 2.5 to 4 millimeters in diameter, 
with raised rims. It had a distinct ectosome 
over extensive subdermal cavities; this dermis 
contained a tangent isodictyal reticulation. 
The spicules were all oxeas, about 5 by 140 
microns in dimensions. 
Toxadocia violacea de Laubenfels 
This species was described (de Laubenfels, 
1950; 16) as occurring on the shores of Oahu. 
It has since been found on other Pacific is- 
lands, and there is an unpublished instance 
of its occurrence interidally on the coast of 
California. In the Honolulu Aquarium it was 
represented by several small specimens on the 
concrete walls, each with an oscule surrounded 
by a rim so high that a tubular structure re- 
sulted, 2 millimeters in diameter, 3 to 5 milli- 
meters high. The oxeas were 5 by 105 microns, 
the toxas 60 microns long. The flagellate 
chambers were especially large, commonly 50 
to 60 microns in diameter. 
Timea xena n. sp. 
The holotype of this species is designated 
as a spirit-preserved specimen, U. S. National 
Museum register number 23505. It was a thin 
orange crust on one of the concrete walls of 
the aquarium, only 550 microns thick. As is 
usual in such thin specimens, oscules and 
pores were not evident. The smooth ectosome 
was 15 to 30 microns thick, darker than the 
endosome, and was packed with microscleres. 
In the endosome fascicular tracts of mega- 
scleres occurred, points toward the surface, 
tract diameter 20 to 25 microns. These columns 
were perpendicular to the substrate and were 
100 to 150 microns apart. 
— '■■-■■ I?---. ^ 
^ ? iz- 
Fig. 1. Spicules of Timea xena, camera lucida draw- 
ing. X A, Tylostyle, B, spheraster. 
The skeleton includes megascleres and mi- 
croscleres. The former are tylostyles 3.5 by 
200 microns in dimension. The latter are as- 
ters 10 microns in diameter, probably to be 
classified as oxyspherasters, but with very 
small centrums. 
There are already some eight species in 
Timea. All have megascleres much larger than 
those of xena; conceivably this might be 
ecologic, but there is no dependable evidence 
that aquarium life produces smaller spicule 
size. The only species hitherto recorded from 
the Pacific Ocean is tetractis Hentschel (1912: 
322) from the East Indies. It is described 
with excessive brevity but characterized by 
peculiar acanthose microscleres. Only two 
other species of Timea have oxyasters, and 
each of them has tylasters in addition; of 
these two, squamata was black, and parasitica 
had the oxyasters 25 microns in diameter and 
its smaller (12 microns) asters were tylasters. 
The species name selected is derived from 
a Greek word meaning "guest.” 
Kotimea tethya n. sp. 
The holotype of this species is designated 
as a spirit-preserved specimen, U. S. National 
Museum register number 23504. It also was 
a pale orange crust on one of the concrete 
walls of the aquarium. Like the preceeding 
species, it was lipostomous. Not only did it 
lack cortex, but there was almost no dermal 
specialization of any kind. The endosome 
showed no trace of fascicular or radiate 
structure. 
The megascleres were styles, 14 by 700 
microns in dimensions. The microscleres were 
oxysphereasters with relatively large cen- 
trums, up to 38 microns in diameter, also 
(rare) oxyeuasters 20 microns in diameter (not 
illustrated), and oxyspherasters only 5 to 7 
microns in diameter. 
This is an interesting specimen in that its 
spicules are practically identical with those 
of the genus Tethya. On the other hand, all 
species of Tethya are both corticate and ra- 
