140 
been very small. Oscula rather numerous, 0,6—1 mm in dia¬ 
meter. Consistence rather soft, a little elastic, colour light gray- 
ish-red. 
Sponge to a high degree filled up with spicules; a very great 
number are lying disorderly scattered in the choanosome; yet also 
fairly well defined spiculo-fibres are found, although they are not 
easily seen, on account of the numerous isolated spicules; in these 
fibres are often 4-5 spicules lying side by side, often more close. 
A discrimination often can be made between main fibres and second- 
ary ones; the primary ones are running fairly parallel towards the 
surface, connected by the secondary ones at often right angles; 
these latter are in faet only bundles of spicules lying between the 
primary ones, of only one spicule’s length; in many places the 
secondary fibres are lying criss-cross, are in faet dissolved. 
Spicules: (fig. 19a—c) 1. styli, somewhat bent in the middle 
or a little before; some are set with a swelling somewhere on the 
spicule, Thickness rather constant for the greater part, tapering 
evenly to a sharp point. Length varying from 220—295 fj.; thick¬ 
ness ca. 10,5 many developmental forms. 2. isochelae; very 
small, ca. 19—25 shape of shaft as by chelae of Esperiopsis 
normani; apex of tooth curved a little outwards, tuberculum rather 
high; sides of tooth rather straight, length the same as of alae, 
breadth only 4—4,5 p. 
This species comes very near to Esperiopsis normani Bow., as 
will be seen from the descriptions of the species in hånd. But first 
the fibres here are too thick for that species; secondly the skeleton 
here is by far too irregular; thirdly the styli here are very mueh 
stouter (10,5 p as against 7-7,5 p by the same length); fourthly 
the breadth of isochelae is here only 4—4,5 p as against 6,5 p- 
I therefore feel obliged to create a new species for the specimens 
in hånd. — Of course I might omit giving a name to this damaged 
sponge; f. i. call it Esperiopsis sp.; but that method I consider as 
wrong; for this sponge, however damaged it may be, surely ex- 
hibits specific peculiarities, and so it must have a name. 
