Report on the zoological collections made in the Indo-Pacific Ocean ...

394 COLLECTIONS FROM IIELAN'ESIA.21. Chalina monilata*. (Plate XLI. fig. Jc.)Erect, dichotomously branched ; branches circular in transversesection, round at the ends, solid, 4 to 6 millim. in diameter, swellingout gently, necklace-like, about every 8 or 10 millim. of theirlength ;terminal ones 35 to 85 millim. long, generally broad andcompressed at point of bifurcation. Stem short, no stouter thanmost of the branches. Surface smooth, glabrous. Vents circular,edges flush with the surface, diameter about 2 millim., few, scatteredirregularly on surface. Texture in spirit compressible, elastic, moderatelytough ; dermis tough, parchment-like ; colour opaque yellowishbrown.Main skeleton irregularly rectangular, fibres very flexible, paleamber-yellow ;primaries about '042 millim. in diameter, spicules3- to 4-serial ; secondaries about '035 millim. in diameter, spicules1- to 3-serial ;primaries -35 to '53 millim. apart at surface,secondaries -14 to -35 millim. Dermal skeleton—a wide-meshed,irregular polygonal network of strong fibre, -035 to '07 millim.thick; spicules numerous, 3- to 8-serial; within its meshes a denseand regular, usually rectangular, network of very pale horny fibre,•006 to '042 millim. in diameter; meshes "05 to ! millim. in diameter;spicules of fibre usually 1-serial : fibres of characters transitionalbetween these two kinds also occur. Sarcode very pale brown,slightly granular. Spicules smooth, acerate, usually tapering graduallyto fine points, size -1 by "0017 millim. ; more rarely taperingslightly from centre to about two diameters from ends, and then suddenlyto sharp points ; size -OSS by -0021 millim.Hah. Port Jackson, 0-5 fms.Several specimens in spirit, the largest 175 millim. (7 inches) inheight. This species has the general habit of Chalina oculata,Pallas ; but the vents are less numerous and regular, the dermis istough, instead of being soft and velvet-like, and the branches aremoniliform, not strictly cylindrical, and the slender acerate spiculesare very different from the stout fusiform ones of C. ocidata. I amunable to assign this species to anj' of the numerous probable Chalinidsewhich Lamarck has described under his section " Massesrameuscs," &c.t The tough outer layer, the spiculation, or the habitdistinguish it alike from these and all other Chalime with which Iam acquainted.22. Cladochalina armigera.Tuba armigera, Duch. de Fvnhressin S)- Michelotti.Two dry specimens and one in spirit. Agree well in externalcharacters with the original figure (Spong. Mer Caraib. pi. viii. fig. 3)and in the characters of the fibre, except that the spicules are farmore abundant (6 to 8 series in the primary and proportionally* From Lat. monile n ecklace.t Ann. Miie. Hist. Nat. xx. p. 44'i.