Studies on Indian Sponges II. Two new species of silicious sponges belonging to the genera Aka de Laubenfels and Damirlna Burton

During an extensive collection of sponges from the coral rocks of the Gulf of Mannar, the author has come across two new species of sponges. The first one, Aka diagonoxea, is a boring sponge and the other, Damirina papillata, usually grows with its base rooted deep in the coral. Detailed descriptions of these species are given here. All specimens are deposited in the Reference Collection Museum of the Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute