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

606 COLLECTIONS FROM THE WESTERN INDIA.N OCEAN.sible, readily torn. Colour pale brown;general appearance that ofsoft leather. Main skeleton composed of nmltispicular secondarytractsof loosely aggregated spicules, 8- to 15-serial, placed parallelto the surface at intervals of '2 to '3 millim,, and of primary linesrepresented by groups of 4 to 10 spicules crossing the intervals ofthe secondaries, ladder-like, at intervals of about '3 millim., thespicules composing these groups being so loosely associated as oftenhardly to be in contact ; they turn to one side at the points atwhich they come into contact with the secondaries, thus roundingoff the angles of the otherwise rectangular spaces of the meshwork.Dermal skeleton formed by the outward projection of slender primarytufts of spicules, 2 to 4 spicules broad. Sarcode pale brownishyellow, subtransparent. Spicules smooth acerate, slightly curved,tapering to sharp points from 2 or 3 diameters from ends ; size -ISby -007 millim.Hab. Seychelle Islands, 2 fms. ; Marie Louise Island, Amirantegroup, 16-17 fms. ; bottom coral.This species, by its polyspieular fibre and compact structure, differsfrom most species of Reniera. Indeed the former character wouldappear to ally it to Schmidtia ; but it is remarkable that, probablyin connexion with the thinness of the wall and consequent need ofresistance to lateral pressure, it is the secondary, and not the primary,fibres which are the stoutest ;possibly it is to the exigencies entailedby the peculiar external form that the whole of the internal peculiaritiesare due. The largest of the specimens, which are somewhatfragmentary, measures 30 millim. high by 18 miUim. in extremebreadth.25. Reniera cribriformis. (Plate LIII. fig. G Plate LIV. fig.;o.)Some fragments in spirit of a hollow cushion-shaped sponge seemworthy of a description, as it has characters by which it may berecognized. The wall is "5 to 3 millim. thick, compact, folded backat the margin so as to enclose a space below the surface. Surfacevery even and glabrous, perforated at intervals of 1-5 millim. bycircular vents, -5 to 2-5 millim. in diameter. Consistence elastic,rather firm ; colour pale dull brown. Primary fibres of main skeletonabout -18 millim. apart, vertical to surface, spicules 2-3-scrial;secondary fibre represented by separate spicules, traversing at variousangles the spaces between the primaries. Dermal skeleton a closemeshwork of irregularly disposed single spicules, not united to formfibres. Sarcode transparent, almost colourless. Spicule smooth, subcylindricalacerate, very slightly curved, tapering from near centreto points of various degrees of bluntness ; size -2 by '007 millim.Hab. Seychelle Islands, 12 fms. ; bottom coral.This species seems to approach R. testitdinaria, Lamarck (seeAustralian <strong>Report</strong>), in the tendency of its spiciiles to assume thecylindrical form.Carter's " Reniera, dark brown " from the Gulf of Manaar (Ann.& Mag. N. H. 1880, vi, p. 48), differs decidedly from this in its