190 
PACIFIC SCIENCE, VoL XIX, April 1965 
must be transferred to Aster opus. 12. The sys- 
tematic position of this genus is difficult to 
ascertain. However, since the absence of triae- 
nes in A. simplex (Carter) is well authenti- 
cated, 14 and no rare or malformed triaenes have 
been reported for other species, it seems per- 
missible to leave Asteropus in the Eplpolasida. 
Within this genus as at present defined there 
are two groups of species based upon micro- 
sclere content: (1) Asteropus simplex , A . ke- 
tostea, and A. kaena having streptasters which 
are often termed sanidasters or scepterelliform 
asters; (2) Asteropus sarasinorum, (Thiele) 
with diactinal microscleres varying from An- 
corina-Yike rhabds to substantial micoxeas, and 
Asteropus cherhonnieri (Levi), which lacks the 
smaller rhabds. Should a new generic name 
eventually be required for the latter group then 
Melophus Thiele should be used. An analagous 
situation is that of Ancorina Schmidt (with 
sanidasters) and Ecionemia Bowerbank (with 
miciorhabds ) ; all recent authors consider these 
to be synonyms. 
With regard to the synonymy of Asteropus 
sarasinorum ( Thiele ) , there is no doubt after 
examination of the type of S. isis (USNM 
23137) and the Palau specimens that these are 
conspecific with Melophus sarasinorum Thiele 
from the Celebes. De Laubenfels has three times 
misrepresented this species in the literature. In 
1936 (p. 70) he referred Melophus to the Ado- 
ciidae. In 1950 be corrected this and stated that 
Melophus lacked asters, giving this as the main 
reason for not uniting Melophus and Stellet- 
tinopsis. Thiele (1899) described and figured 
asters in Melophus sarastinorum, the only spe- 
cies in the genus. Finally, de Laubenfels (1954) 
13 With the exception of Stellettinopsis annulata 
Schmidt, which Topsent (1923) has referred to 
Sphinctrella, and S. carteri Ridley, S. coriacea Carter, 
S. lutea Carter, S. purpurea Carter, and S. tuberculata 
Carter, all of which were referred to Coppatias by 
Sollas (1888) and which consequently fall into Jas- 
pis. The last four species are all considered to be 
synonyms of Jaspis stellifera (= Jaspis coriacea) by 
Shaw (1927); this synonymy requires further evi- 
dence since the type descriptions of S. coriacea and 
J. stellifera are not at all comparable. 
14 Dendy (1924) has mentioned occasional mal- 
formed oxeas and triaene derivatives in Asteropus 
simplex from New Zealand. 
proposed the synonymy of the two genera but 
considered sarasinorum to be distinct from isis . 
In support of this contention he cited the small 
size of sarasinorum. Thiele, however, stated that 
his specimen was 20 cm high and 14 cm wide, 
a size quite comparable with that of Stelletti- 
nopsis isis. 
Jaspis bandae Brpndsted is closely compara- 
ble with both M. sarasinorum and S . isis. The 
specimen was dried and consequently details of 
internal anatomy are not available. 
DISTRIBUTION: Celebes (Thiele); East In- 
dies (Brpndsted); Palau Islands, Truk Island 
( de Laubenfels ) . 
GENUS Jaspis Gray 
Jaspis coriacea (Carter) 
Stellettinopsis coriacea Carter, 1886, p. 126. 
Coppatias coriaceus Sollas, 1888, p. 207. 
Jaspis coriacea de Laubenfels, 1936, p. 151. 
OCCURRENCE: Sta. 106. 
DESCRIPTION: An Irregularly massive to en- 
crusting sponge which binds large pieces of 
coral and shell debris. The over-all size of the 
sponge is 8.5 X 5.5 cm, up to 3.5 cm thick. 
COLOR: In alcohol, pinkish-white externally, 
flesh color internally. 
TEXTURE: Firm, compressible. 
SURFACE: A great proportion of the surface 
is covered with adhering shell fragments; the 
clear regions are hispid and minutely granular. 
SKELETON: A thin dermal region is marked 
by the presence of a dense crust of microscleres 
and some tangential oxeas. Below this is an 
ectosomal layer, a region of large subdermal 
cavities bounded internally by a dense zone of 
spongin A. Some spicule tracts traverse this 
region, others end Internally to it; those that 
traverse the ectosome are accompanied by rela- 
tively large concentrations of spongin. Abun- 
dant large cells with granular cytoplasm occur 
toward the inner boundary of the ectosome. i 
The endosomal skeleton is made up of tracts 
of oxeas disposed radially and diverging to- 
ward the surface. The irregular habit of the 
sponge inhibits the development of a radial 
skeleton in many regions and the tracts be- 
come tangential and somewhat confused. Two 
