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PACIFIC SCIENCE, Vol. XI, April, 1957 
species to another. The six species include 
the type, P. longispina , and P. incrustans , mexi- 
censis, perforatus , rugosus, and sisyrnus. 
In Prosuberites there are now three species 
with smaller spicules, only a little larger than 
those that are typical of Suberites , but not 
differentiated into categories as are those of 
Suberites. These three are brevispinus , epiphy- 
toides , and brondstedi. To them should be 
added the similar species described as Hy- 
meraphia spinularia by Bowerbank (1875: 
282). Protosuberites brevispinus was described 
by de Laubenfels (1951: 215), but the author 
had no opportunity to correct proof. Thus it 
happened that by accident the spicule size 
was omitted from the original publication: 
it was 6 X 520 to 6 X 550 microns. 
Prosuberites oleteira has spicules a little larger 
than those of the four species that are dis- 
cussed in the preceding paragraph, but much 
smaller than the spicules of the more typical 
six. It has a lethal effect which is not recorded 
for any of the others, and which may be 
unique. On the other hand, this character- 
istic may be present in one or more of the 
brevispinus type, in which case some synonym- 
ization might later be in order. 
It was clear that oleteira was destroying other 
sessile forms as it spread its thin growth out- 
ward. Some encrusting sponges grow into 
interstices, or are left in interstices; these latter 
spaces are angular, with rounded protrusions 
entering them. The growth of oleteira instead 
made rounded lethal encroachments over its 
neighbors, which were chiefly ascidians and 
annelids of the type that form small calcareous 
tubes. The name oleteira is derived from a 
Greek word meaning ' "murderess.” 
Stellettinopsis kaena new species 
This species was dredged 10 April 1949 
near Kaena Point, from a depth of more than 
200 meters. Two separate specimens were col- 
lected, both to be deposited in the U. S. 
National Museum. Each is an irregular mass. 
Fig. 13. Camera lucida drawing (X 635) of spicules 
of Stellettinopsis kaena : a , Central portion only of one of 
the oxeas to show its relative size; b, two of the scep- 
trelliform streptasters; c, two of the oxyeuasters. 
That which is selected as type was 6X9X11 
cm.; the other was 11 X 14 X 27 cm. The 
former was drab, darker at the surface than 
inside. The latter was so dark as to be nearly 
black. The consistency is cartilaginous and 
the surface is rough and lumpy. Both spec- 
imens contain foreign matter in scattered 
places, as though they had grown over neigh- 
boring organisms; this is not a case of incor- 
porating foreign debris in proper skeletal 
structures. Both specimens were much over- 
grown as well. The type is nearly covered by 
patches of calcareous algae, the other spec- 
imen by a thin crust of Microciona haematodes. 
Both specimens are densely packed with large 
oxeas in confusion. These are somewhat 
larger in the type, ranging up to 36 X 2400 
and 42 X 2000 microns in dimensions. In the 
other specimen sizes around 14 X 1000 mi- 
crons are common. The microscleres include 
oxyeuasters 16 to (rarely) 20 microns in diame- 
ter, and streptasters uniformly about 12 
microns in length. These show a pronounced 
tendency to have many spines arranged in 
two nodes that divide the spicule into equal 
thirds of length, no spines elsewhere except 
sometimes a few spines at the extreme ends. 
Carter (1879: 349) described Stellettinopsis 
simplex from Australia. It has the sceptrelli- 
form streptasters as in kaena , but they are 17 
microns long, and are accompanied by diversi- 
fied kinds of euasters. The other species which 
is most nearly like kaena was described from 
the Bermudas as Stellettinopsis ketostea (de Lau- 
benfels, 1950: 112). The resemblance is in- 
deed close, but ketostea had much larger 
euasters. 
