Subfamily Spongodruppida, Haeckel

Definition.—Spongurida with latticed medullary shell, enclosed by a spongy cortical shell.

Genus 148. Spongodruppa, n. gen.

Definition.—Spongurida with spongy ellipsoidal cortical shell, enclosing a simple, spherical or ellipsoidal, latticed medullary shell. Polar spines absent.

The genus Spongodruppa opens the series of Spongodruppida, or of those Spongurida in which the ellipsoidal spongy cortical shell encloses a simple or double, latticed, medullary shell. In Spongodruppa, the simplest and probably the ancestral form of this subfamily, the medullary shell is simple and the polar spines absent. It may be derived from Druppula by a spongy thickening of the simple latticed cortical shell.

Subgenus 1. Spongodruppula, Haeckel.

Definition.—Surface of the shell smooth or rough, without radial spines.

1. Spongodruppa terebintha, n. sp.

Cortical shell one and a third times as long as broad, with smooth surface, three times as broad as the spherical medullary shell. Spongy framework very compact, with small meshes of the same breadth as the bars. Thickness of the spongy wall equal to the radius of the medullary shell.

Dimensions.—Length of the cortical shell (or major axis of the ellipsoid) 0.16, breadth (or minor axis) 0.12; thickness of its wall 0.02; medullary shell 0.04.

Habitat.—Western Tropical Pacific, Station 225, depth 4475 fathoms.

2. Spongodruppa pistacia, n. sp.

Cortical shell one and a half times as long as broad, with thorny surface, nearly five times as broad as the spherical medullary shell. Spongy framework compact, its thickness equal to the diameter of the medullary shell.

Dimensions.—Length of the cortical shell 0.2, breadth 0.14; thickness of its wall 0.03; medullary shell 0.03.

Habitat.—Fossil in the rocks of Barbados.

3. Spongodruppa lentisca, n. sp.

Cortical shell twice as long as broad, with rough surface, four times as large as the ellipsoidal medullary shell. Spongy framework loose, with large meshes, its thickness equal to the length of the medullary shell.

Dimensions.—Length of the cortical shell 0.25, breadth 0.13; thickness of its wall 0.06; length of the medullary shell 0.06, breadth 0.04.

Habitat.—Pacific, central area, Station 266, surface.

Subgenus 2. Spongodruppium, Haeckel.

Definition.—Surface of the shell armed with radial spines.

4. Spongodruppa frangula, n. sp.

Cortical shell one and a third times as long as broad, three times as broad as the spherical medullary shell. Spongy framework loose, with large meshes, its thickness half as large as the diameter of the medullary shell. Surface covered with numerous (forty to fifty) thin, bristle-shaped, radial spines, about as long as the cortical shell.

Dimensions.—Length of the cortical shell 0.24, breadth 0.18; thickness of its wall 0.035; diameter of the medullary shell 0.06.

Habitat.—North Pacific, Station 244, depth 2900 fathoms.

5. Spongodruppa elliptica, Haeckel.

Acanthosphæra elliptica, Ehrenberg, 1872, Abhandl. d. k. Akad. d. Wiss. Berlin, p. 285, Taf. vii. fig. 4.

Cortical shell nearly twice as long as broad, four times as broad as the ellipsoidal medullary shell. Spongy framework compact, with small meshes. Surface covered with very numerous short radial spines, about as long as the medullary shell.

Dimensions.—Length of the cortical shell 0.2, breadth 0.11; length of the medullary shell 0.04, breadth 0.03.

Habitat.—Philippine Sea, Ehrenberg, Station 206, depth 2100 fathoms.

6. Spongodruppa polyacantha, Haeckel.

Haliomma polyacanthum, J. Müller, 1858, Abhandl., p. 36, Taf. i. figs. 10, 11.

Haliomma polyacanthum, Haeckel, 1862, Monogr. d. Radiol., p. 430.

Cortical shell one and a third times as long as broad, twice as broad as the ellipsoidal medullary shell. Spongy framework loose on the surface, with large regular meshes. Surface covered with fifteen to twenty thick, conical spines, about as long as the radius of the shell.

Dimensions.—Length of the cortical shell 0.12, of the medullary shell 0.09; diameter of the medullary shell 0.05 to 0.06.

Habitat.—Mediterranean (south coast of France); Atlantic (Canary Islands), Station 354, surface.

Genus 149. Spongatractus, n. gen.

Definition.—Spongurida with spongy ellipsoidal cortical shell, enclosing a simple, spherical or ellipsoidal, latticed medullary shell. On the poles of the axis occur two opposite strong spines.

The genus Spongatractus differs from Spongodruppa by development of two strong spines in the axis of the shell, on its two opposite poles; therefore it bears the same relation to the latter that Lithatractus does to Druppula, and can be derived from Lithatractus by a spongy thickening of the cortical shell.

1. Spongatractus pachystylus, Haeckel.

Spongosphæra pachystyla, Ehrenberg, 1875, Abhandl. d. k. Akad. d. Wiss. Berlin, p. 82, Taf. xxvi. fig. 3.

Cortical shell one and a half times as long as broad, with rough surface. Spongy framework compact, with small meshes, about as thick as the spherical medullary shell. Polar spines very stout, conical, slightly sulcated, about as long as the breadth of the cortical shell, as broad at the base as the medullary shell.

Dimensions.—Length of the cortical shell 0.2, breadth 0.13; thickness of the spongy wall 0.045; diameter of the medullary shell 0.04.

Habitat.—Fossil in the rocks of Barbados, Ehrenberg; living in the Equatorial Atlantic, Station 348, depth (2450) fathoms.

2. Spongatractus fusiformis, n. sp.

Cortical shell one and a third times as long as broad, with nearly smooth surface. Spongy framework very compact, with very small meshes, about as thick as the radius of the spherical medullary shell. Polar spines very strong, three-sided pyramidal, about as long as the breadth of the cortical shell, as broad at the base as the medullary shell.

Dimensions.—Length of the cortical shell 0.16 to 0.18, breadth 0.12 to 0.14; thickness of the spongy wall 0.02; diameter of the medullary shell 0.04.

Habitat.—Pacific, central area, Station 268, depth 2900 fathoms.

3. Spongatractus streptacanthus, n. sp.

Cortical shell twice as long as broad, with thorny surface. Spongy framework loose, with large meshes, about as thick as the ellipsoidal medullary shell. Polar spines very long, three-sided prismatic, with three spirally contorted edges, much longer than the cortical shell, half as broad as the medullary shell.

Dimensions.—Length of the cortical shell 0.25, breadth 0.13; thickness of the spongy wall 0.03; diameter of the medullary shell 0.03 to 0.04.

Habitat.—North Atlantic, off Canary Islands, Haeckel.

Genus 150. Spongoliva, n. gen.

Definition.—Spongurida with spongy ellipsoidal cortical shell, enclosing a double, spherical or ellipsoidal, latticed medullary shell. Polar spines absent.

The genus Spongoliva differs from the nearest Spongodruppa by duplication of the medullary shell; it bears therefore the same relation to this that Prunulum does to Druppula, and can be regarded as a Prunulum, in which the simple latticed cortical shell is replaced by a spongy framework.

Subgenus 1. Spongolivetta, Haeckel.

Definition.—Surface of the shell smooth or rough, without radial spines.

1. Spongoliva cerasina, n. sp.

Cortical shell one and a fourth times as long as broad, with smooth surface, four times as broad as the outer spherical medullary shell. Spongy framework very compact, with very small meshes, its thickness equal to the diameter of the outer medullary shell.

Dimensions.—Length of the cortical shell 0.2, breadth 0.16; thickness of its wall 0.04; diameter of the outer medullary shell 0.04, of the inner 0.014.

Habitat.—Fossil in the rocks of Barbados.

2. Spongoliva prunulina, n. sp.

Cortical shell one and a third times as long as broad, with smooth surface, three times as large as the outer ellipsoidal medullary shell. Spongy framework very compact, with small meshes, its thickness equal to the diameter of the inner medullary shell.

Dimensions.—Length of the cortical shell 0.24, breadth 0.18; thickness of its wall 0.03; size of the outer medullary shell 0.08 to 0.06, of the inner 0.03.

Habitat.—Pacific, central area, Station 265, depth 2900 fathoms.

3. Spongoliva persicina, n. sp.

Cortical shell one and a half times as long as broad, with rough surface, five to six times as large as the ellipsoidal outer medullary shell. Spongy framework loose, with large meshes, its thickness about equal to the outer medullary shell.

Dimensions.—Length of the cortical shell 0.26, breadth 0.18; thickness of its wall 0.04; size of the outer medullary shell 0.045 to 0.035, of the inner 0.015.

Habitat.—Equatorial Atlantic, Station 348, depth (2450) fathoms.

4. Spongoliva amygdalina, n. sp.

Cortical shell twice as long as broad, with thorny surface, ten times as long as the small spherical outer medullary shell. Spongy framework loose, with large meshes, its thickness one and a half times as large as the outer medullary shell.

Dimensions.—Length of the cortical shell 0.3, breadth 0.16; thickness of its wall 0.045; size of the outer medullary shell 0.03, of the inner 0.015.

Habitat.—Fossil in the Tertiary rocks of Sicily (Caltanisetta).

Subgenus 2. Spongolivina, Haeckel.

Definition.—Surface of the shell armed with radial spines.

5. Spongoliva opuntina, n. sp.

Cortical shell one and a third times as long as broad, armed with numerous thin, bristle-shaped, radial spines, nearly as long as the shell. Spongy framework loose, with large meshes, its thickness nearly equal to the diameter of the outer spherical medullary shell.

Dimensions.—Length of the cortical shell 0.18, breadth 0.14; thickness of its wall 0.035; diameter of the outer medullary shell 0.04, of the inner 0.02.

Habitat.—South Atlantic, Station 325, surface.

6. Spongoliva daturina, n. sp.

Cortical shell one and a half times as long as broad, armed with numerous, thick and short, conical radial spines, about as long as the outer medullary shell. Spongy framework compact, with small meshes, its thickness equal to half the length of the outer ellipsoidal medullary shell.

Dimensions.—Length of the cortical shell 0.24, breadth 0.16; thickness of its wall 0.025; diameter of the outer medullary shell 0.045 to 0.035, of the inner 0.025.

Habitat.—Pacific, central area, Station 272, surface.

Genus 151. Spongoxiphus, n. gen.

Definition.—Spongurida with spongy ellipsoidal cortical shell, enclosing a double, spherical or ellipsoidal, latticed medullary shell. On the poles of the axis occur two opposite strong spines.

The genus Spongoxiphus differs from Spongoliva by the development of two strong spines in the axis of the shell, on its two opposite poles. From the similar Spongatractus it differs in the duplication of the medullary shell. It may also be regarded as a Stylatractus, in which the simple latticed cortical shell is replaced by an irregular spongy framework.

1. Spongoxiphus sphærococcus, n. sp.

Cortical shell one and a half times as long as broad, with thorny surface. Spongy framework compact, with small meshes, its thickness equal to the radius of the outer medullary shell. Both medullary shells spherical, the outer three times as broad as the inner. Polar spines very stout, conical, slightly sulcated, about half as long as the cortical shell, as broad at the base as the outer medullary shell. (Differs from Spongatractus pachystylus almost only in the double medullary shell.)

Dimensions.—Length of the cortical shell 0.18, breadth 0.12; thickness of the spongy wall 0.025; diameter of the outer medullary shell 0.05, of the inner 0.016.

Habitat.—Fossil in the rocks of Barbados (Haeckel); also living in the Pacific, central area, Station 265, depth 2900 fathoms.

2. Spongoxiphus prunococcus, n. sp. (Pl. , figs. 12, 13).

Spongostylus prunococcus, Haeckel, 1881, Prodromus, p. 455, et Atlas, pl. xvii. figs. 12, 13.

Cortical shell one and a third times as long as broad, with smooth surface. Spongy framework very compact, with very small meshes, its thickness about equals the breadth of the outer medullary shell. Both medullary shells ellipsoidal, the outer three times as large as the inner. Polar spines very stout, three-sided pyramidal, about half as long as the cortical shell, on the base about as broad as the outer medullary shell. (Differs from the preceding in the ellipsoidal form of both medullary shells, and in the finer structure of the spongy framework.)

Dimensions.—Length of the cortical shell 0.18 to 0.2, breadth 0.14 to 0.16; thickness of the spongy wall 0.035 to 0.04; length of the outer medullary shell 0.04 to 0.06, breadth 0.03 to 0.04.

Habitat.—Pacific, central area, Stations 265 to 268, depths 2700 to 2900 fathoms.