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

;400 COLM'.CTIONB FKOM MELANESIA.Ausf ralia. I havo, al any rate, soon pieces of a sponge closely alliedto, if not. idonlical willi, lliis substituted for tho orij;inal sponge ofJhialoiwma s'uholdi, ])rol)ably belonging to the species alluded to asoccurring in this connexion in .lajtan by L. Diiderlein (Arch, fiirNaturg. xlix. ]). Id I), iindiM- the name of JSi/)Jtonocha!iitd papjiracea ;it is in liny case not referable to that species, but possibly to Tulminer/asfoma, Duch. & ^lich., or 7'. {IS/wiipia) hiirsaria, Lamarck.Linne seems to have conl'ounded two or more species under thename acidcdid.Ildh. I'oit Molle and J'ort t'urlis, Queensland (from coral-reef,Diftirihniion.Australian seas {LiUiuirck).1*!). Tuba confcederata.? Spongia confaHlenita, Lamarck, Ann. Mus. Hist. Nat. xx. p. 4^8.Croups of erect, straight, laterally united tubes, each about 25millim. (1 inch) in greatest internal diameter in the present (dryand somewhat compressed) state, the surface covered with numeroussharp but low aculeations, about 2 to 3 millim. high and 3 to 5millim. apart, seem to mo to possibly represent this species. 1 am,however, doubtful whether 8eba's figure to which Lamarck refers(viz. Thesaurus, iii. \i\. xcvii. iig. 2) professes to reju'esent thesurface aculeations which I have described ; in that figure tlie tubesare shorter in proportion to their diameter than here. In this specimenthe surface between tlie aculeations is smooth, and the tubesdecrease but slightly in diameter towards the mouth, wliich is fringedM'ith a row of small, tlexible, tag-like acidtvitions 2 to millim. long.',\The tubes are \)o to 120 millim. long, and have evidently been tornfrom a connnon hollow horizontal base (as is shown by another,very battered specimen, whicli also shows the real length of the tubesto be approximately as stated above for the detached tubes) ; theyare united up to their summits or to within a very short distance ofthem. The walls are 1 to 3 millim. thick. Vents numerous, small,•") to 1 millim. in diameter, on the inner (otherwise smooth) surface oftlie tubes. The colour is pale brown.The main skelcton-fil)re is tough, flexible, amber-yellow ; tliespiciUes of the primary fibres form about 3 or 4 series in axis of fibre,of which they occupy about one fourth of the total breadth, Miiichis "07 to -1 millim. ; the spicules of the secondary fibres are in twoor three axial series, diameter of fibre about -07 millim. Secondaryfibres generally long, not far apart, approximately vertical to tlioprimaries. Dt-rmal skeleton consisting of stout main fibres about•14 millim. in diameter, internuMliate fibres •03") to "1 millim. broadfibres usually spiculnr, witli little or no visible horny matter. Barcodewanting. Spicules smooth acerate, tapering to sharp pointsfrom about three dian\eters from ends; size -1 by '00(53 to '0075millim.Represented by three more or less washed dry specimens.Hab. West Island, Torres Straits (from beach).