: f , i !
. M :
i Ji i '
!
iu
•I. -8. ('niiNiVu/d, id. ibid. p. 371. Hasst' UooIvH, (k'A'lon.
5. 8. axstritlioisis. id. op. oil. 18S3, \i. j>. 350, pi. .xiv. lig. 2.
^Y. .Vustrnlia.
6. N. badlHfVnu var. robusta, id. loo. oil. p. 351, i»l. xiv. lig. 3.
8. Australia.
Group 2. V it bout baoillar or aot'rato lUvsli-ajMoult;.
7. S. trthuopsis, Oartor. Aim. i'i Alag. N . 11. 1880, ar p. 137, ]>1.
vi. tigs. 3 i\ 10. Gulf of Manaar, (’oylon.
8. 8. globosUlbito, id. op. oil. 1883, xi. p. 353, pi. xiv. tig. 5.
Gallo, Ooylou.
9. *8. bacca, Soloiika, Zoitsdi. AA'iss. Zool. xvii. ]i. 5(59, pi. xxxv.
figs. 14. 15. Samoa Islauds.
10. 8 . puipurca. sp. u. N , coast o f Australia.
11. 8. clavixsa, sp. u. X. co a st of A u s tra lia* .
In no A tla n tic Stcilctbr Avhicb 1 bave soon do tho m in u to or an y
stoUaros possess capitate ray s, oxcopt in a Al S. speck's of S chm id t’s
from F lo rid a . Avhieh has m in u to draAvn-out ste lla te s (f. c. in c ip ien t
sp in isp iru la r spioulesi Avith v e ry slig h t heads to th o sleu d e r ray s ; a
la rg e r ste lla te is. hoAvoA-er, p re se n t in ad d itio n to those, an d h a s n o t
heads to its ray s ; th e la rg e s te lla te of X. iutenncdia, Schmidt,
from Algiers, h a s th tv r itd s of tho ray s ro u g h ly tn h e rc n la tc d h y p ro m
in e n t groups of tuhereles. h n t th e spicule its e lf seems to he homo-
lotrous Avith th e " h a l l s ” of Geodia, an d u o t Avith th e small s ta rs of
SteUetia. Avhich a re p re se n t as Avell. Th e Indo-P ac ific species more
o ften have th e he ad. I n SielJetta (Ecionenna) densa, BoAvk., from
th e F iji Is la u d s , th e tu b e rc u la tio n of th e ra y s is sometimes ra th e r
coarse r a t th e ir apices th a n on th e rem a in in g p a r t, an d in Ecionemia
acervus th e rav s of th e d e lic a te s te lla te a re v e ry fine an d slig h tly
c ap ita te . C a rte r does n o t describe or figure an y heads on th e ray s
of th e ste lla te s of h is species from th is reg io n ex c ep t S. globostellata.
S elenka's species has no heads.
T h e tAvo species from A u s tra lia to he first described ag re e Avith
e ach o th e r an d v rith Ecionemia acervus in h av in g small heads to th e
ste lla te s. a lth o u g h th e y differ from it , an d agree Avith Stelletta tethy-
opsi-s. in th e probably m o re im p o rta n t c h a ra c te r of th e absence of
a flesh ac e ra te or h a c illa r sp ic u le ; th e c h a ra c te r of th e ap ex of
th e ra v of th e s te lla te in th e la tte r species h a s n o t b e en described.
T h e S am o a -Islan d s species h a s no surface lin e a r spicule assigned to
i t hv its descriher, b n t i t differs fu n d am e n ta lly from o u r species in
its la rg e , n o n c a p ita te -ra y e d stella te.
* S. mastrum of Carter (? Schmidt) described (Ann. & Mag. Nat. Hist. 1882,
T. pp. 135, 136, pL Hi. figs. 41, 42) from the Gulf of Manaar and Australia,
includes two distinct species, of which the first at any rate is distinct from
Schmidt’s species ; they belong to a remarkable group of forms which connect
Stelletta with Geodia : the surface-disk forms a character of sufficient importance
to distinsuish the species which possess it from Stelletta s. str. S. mix of
Belenka (Zeitsch. wiss. Zool. xHi. p. 569, pi. xxsr. figs. 11-13), from the Samoa
Islands, is probably a Tethya s. str., as its stellate agrees with the large stellate
of that genus, aud its “ forks ” are rare and probably foreign to the sponge.
1 91 . S t c l I cU a purpurea .
(1*1,ATI« XI/. lig. M ; 1*1,ATK X 1/1 I I. i\gH.j,j'.)
I'’n)(), Hiil)H|)lionc(i,l or Hiiboval. A Hlnglo c ircu la r vent, (about, 2
millim. in diamoior in modoralo-Hizod Hp(;cimonH) often prcH cn i; it
IoiuIh deeply into th e Hpongc. Hnrlaci! Hnbpapillo.sc, i. e. cmbo.H.Hcd
with Hinall Hmniglobnlar clovation.s, vi.sihlc rno.Ht readily nmjer a
la te ra l liglit. (Jolenr pur|»le in Hpirit, wlieri well prcHcrved. A
(liHl,iiie,t eorticul layer witli nareode of I,lie warrie eooHi.Hteney a s th a t
el tlie cen tra l p a r t of th e H[iorige, ab o u t '7 millim. broad, co n ta in in g
th e Hiibeortieal eryjitn, and formed (in a d n lt Hpeeirnen.H) by th e apace
in te rv e n in g between th e lieada o f th e aupcrficial /,om;-.spicnle,s;
a Hubcortieal zone of anchorH an d Hrrialler zon/v.apicnlc.s. Beep
Harcode tra rm p a ren t, browniHh y e llow ; th a t of an rface p u rp liah
red, r a th e r g ra n u la r.
iSpicuIea:—Q) Zone-aiiiculc; abaft atout, tajicririg gradually to
sliarp point, J ‘4 to I4> by •04.5 to ‘OO millim.; anna atrong,
tapering gradually to aharji points, projecting aorncwhai forAvard
a t the commencement, and then curving backwarda alightly, -27
by -043 to -OO millim. in length and breadth re.spcctively, (2;
Anchor, long, tapering to aharp p oint; head almost flat above;
arms turning rather abruptly back to form an angle of about 45°
Avith shaft, tapering to sharp points ; expanse of arm.s at their
points -1 millim.; diameter of shaft about -035 millim.; length of
shaft about 2 millim., of arms about -07 miUim. Head usually lying
heloAv the zone of “ chones. ” (3) Body acerate, long, slender,
tapering very gradually from centre to sharp points ; size about 1-5
to 2 hy -037 millim. (4) Alinute stellate of flesh; about 7 to
10 a rm s ; no perceptible body; arms straight, very slender, viz.
about -0008 millim. in diameter, apparently .smooth, terminated
by minute h e ad ; diameter of .spicule across arms -02 to ^025
millim.: distributed throughout all parts of the sarcode.
Hab. Prince of Wales Channel, Thursday Island, and West
Island, Torres Straits, 4 -9 fm s.; bottom sand or sand and coral.
Port DarAvin, 7 -1 2 fm s.; bottom sand and mud. Arafura Sea off
X.W. coast of Australia, 32-36 fm s.; sand, mud, and shells.
Specimens not abundant at any of the stations. The single
specimen from West Island is remarkable for being half covered
by specimens of lotrochota purpurea, lihizochalina singaporensis.
Cladochalina nuda, and a coralline.
Stelletta purpurea, var. retroflexa. ( P l a t e X L III. f ig . k . )
T h is nam e m a y be applied to a specimen Avhich has th e exp an se
o f th e arms of th e zone-spicule someAvhat g re a te r th a n in th e ty p ic a l
fo rm, Avhile th e ir d iam e te r is less, an d one or more o f th e 'a rm s
g en e ra lly h a s th e p o in t b e n t hackAvards a b ru p tly , so as to form an
an g le of ab o u t 135° Avith th e r e s t of th e a rm . Th e specimen is
glo b u la r, an d has a v e n t ab o u t 1-5 millim. in diam e te r. Th e bend