PROC. BIOL. SOC. WASH. 91(3), 1978, pp. 569-589 SIX NEW SPECIES OF SHALLOW-WATER MARINE DEMOSPONGES FROM CALIFORNIA Donn A. Ristau Abstract. — A compositional and distributional study o£ intertidal and shal-low subtidal (to -31 meters), central and north-central California marine demosponges was conducted between 1972 and 1977. As a result of that study, six species are described as new: Xestospongia trindanea, Adocia dubia, Toxadocia zumi, Leucophloeus actites, Axinomimus tuscarus, and Artemisina archegona. The study of California sponges has not generated a fervor of activity over the years, nor has the literature been saturated with information about this little-studied west coast phylum. Probably the greatest interest generated by sponges occurred recently, when several news agencies reported that giant, and presumably mutant, sponges were found growing on undersea nuclear waste storage containers (see Editor's Comment, San Francisco Chronicle, September 14, 1976). It has been rumored that the Japanese are now planning a motion picture in which a sleeze^ of giant sponges rises from the depths of the Farallon Islands and phagocytizes the North Beach area of San Francisco. Undoubtedly, when this epic materializes, research and interest in California sponges will increase. Until that time, however, those interested in the sponge fauna of this area must be content with the paucity of scientific literature on this subject. Ten references prior to 1932 deal with California's marine sponge fauna: Haeckel (1872), Lendenfeld (1889, 1910), Lambe (1894), Schulze (1899), Urban (1902, 1905) and de Laubenfels (1926, 1927, 1930). According to de Laubenfels (1932) some of this work is inadequate, incorrect or describes material from outside the California area. De Laubenfels's (1932) monograph on marine and freshwater sponges is still one of the most complete guides to date for the identification of Cali-fornia sponges. In this work, 101 species from 3 classes (Hyalospongiae, Calcispongiae and Demospongiae) are discussed. Most specimens are from southern and central California, and most (76%) are members of the Demospongiae. Major discussions of parts of the sponge fauna, after 1932, are given by Hartman and Smith (1954), Ricketts and Calvin (1968) and Hartman (1975). These authors predominantly discuss intertidal species of central and south-ern California. The species Hsted in Hartman and Smith (1954) and Ricketts and Calvin (1968) are, for the most part, those listed in de Laubenfels (1932). Hartman's (1975) key has been systematically updated and includes
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