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

;;sroNGiiDA. 459tered over surface of fibres, and aggregated into tufts at the ends ofthe primary fibres.Hah. Warrior lieef, Torres Straits (apparently from beach).A single dry specimen ; extreme height 410 millim. (16t inches),extreme diameter 480 millim. (I'JA inches). This species resemblesE. bilamellatum in the regularity of its skeleton and the compactnessof its fibre. In outward appearance in the macerated condition,however, it has more the aspect of the Arabian form nervosum ;but in this species the frond is only incipicntly reticulate and thebranches are much stouter. It diff'ers markedly from both in thegreat length of the echiuating spicule, almost half as long again asin those species.87. Raspailia bifurcata. (Plate XL. fig. JPlate XLII. figs. I, I'.)Erect, arborescent ; stem short, 3-4 millim. thick, branching dichotomouslyand frequently, in planes usually at right angles toeach other and at angles of 30° to 40^; terminal branches pointed,tapering to points from a thickness at origin of 1 to 1*25 millim.Stem and branches approximately cylindrical. Surface minutelyhispid with sliarp filiform points, abotit "3 millim. high and the samedistance apart. Texture (in spirit) of stem and branches hard,woody, that of the tips of terminal branches soft and flexiblecolour of stem and lower branches purple, of terminal branches"white. Main skeleton composed of longitudinally arranged, subparallelloose bundles of the long acuates, accompanied l)y about thesame amount of the acerate, covered and united by a considerableamount of pale purple tenacious material ; the bundles anastomosefreely by convergence at small angles ; diameter ranging from about•28 millim. in stem to -05 millim. in tips of branches ; surfacesparsely covered by the spined acuate scattered over it. Xo distinctdermis ; the surface is eehinated at right angles by tufts, each composedof one or more long acuates : spicules projecting from a conicalmass of purple tenacious substance. Sarcode very pale purphsh,transparent. Spicules :—(1) Skeleton acuate, smooth, base wellrounded, tapering gradually to sharp points (more rapidly near end);size about 1-2 by -0127 millim. (2) Skeleton acerate, smooth,slightly curved, tapering to sharp points from about six diametersfrom ends ;size about '5 to -7 by -0095 millim. (3) Echinatingacuate of dermal tufts, as (1), but measuring -022 millim. in thickness.(4) Spined cylindrical, tapering gradually from well-roundedbase to blunt distal end, thickly and equably spined ; spines fine,sharp, those of distal part of spicule recurvate ; size -09 by '0079.Hah. Prince of Wales Channel, Torres Straits, 5-7 fms. ; bottom,shells and sand.The specimen on which the species is based is 53 millim. (2 inches)high and 24 millim. across. The species much resembles DictijocyUndruspikei, Carter, from Mauritius, in form, but, as we haveseen, that species is referable to Echinodicti/uin.