Sarcocornea nodosa

Hab. Marine.

Specimen dry, massive, sessile, contracted towards the base, somewhat compressed, lobulatcd on both sides. Consistence, when dry, extremely hard, chiefly owing to the thickness of the dermal sarcode. Colour dark grey-brown on the surface, lighter internally from the presence of the white particles of foreign material. Surface smooth, even, consisting of the thick glutinous dermal layer. Pores in juxtaposition in the thick dermal membrane, leading down (as seen in the section) by vertical canals into the subdermal cavities. Vents very numerous, marginate, situated all over the crest and on the prominent par-ts of the lobes of the specimen. Structure in ­ ternally compact, glutinous; parenchymatous sarcode more or less keratose; charged diffusively with arenaceous foreign material; the whole traversed by the branches of the excretory canal-systems. Size of specimen 5 in. high by 71 x 3 in. horizontally in its greatest dimensions.

Obs. There is but one specimen of this kind which has been dried, and therefore the inspissated keratose sarcode hardened by contraction almost into the consistence of dry dark-brown glue, which is the chief character of the species.

Loc. Port Phillip Heads, South Australia. Depth?