116 THE SPONGES OF THE WEST-CENTRAL PACIFIC 



mens as, for example, No. M. 333 discussed above. Such a specimen be- 

 comes more typical of the genus Hippiospongia than any except the very 

 most typical specimens thereof. It is suggested here that the various speci- 

 mens which have been called anfractuosa should fall in synonymy to mauri- 

 tiana, which thus becomes a sponge with a widespread distribution from 

 the central Indian Ocean throughout the Australian, East Indian, and now 

 western Pacific areas. 



FAMILY PHORBASIDAE de Laubenfels 

 GENUS KIEPLITELA, new 



This genus is here established for sponges of extremely cavernous nature. 

 The soft parts are distributed along coarse fibers, which make an openwork 

 reticulation having meshes 5 to 8 mm in diameter. Within the genus Mycale 

 there is a group of species of similar openwork structure, but it is found in 

 few, if any, other places throughout the whole phylum Porifera. The spicula- 

 tion of Kieplitela is somewhat like that of Echinodictyum. The type of this 

 latter genus (Echinodictyum topsenti de Laubenfels) has fibers cored with 

 oxeas and echinated by acanthostyles. The same is true of Kieplitela; but the 

 structure of topsenti is dense, and its skeleton consists of spicular tracts 

 rather than fibers. These tracts are profusely echinated, whereas in Kiepli- 

 tela the echinating spicules are fairly rare. Furthermore, most of the species 

 that quite properly are referred to the genus Echinodictyum have coring 

 spicules which are in some cases styles and in other oxeas and in several 

 species are only styles without any oxeas. Probably that species of all those 

 in Echinodictyum which is closest to Kieplitela, having a somewhat caver- 

 nous structure, is Echinodictyum asperum, Ridley and Dendy, 1886, page 

 477, from the South Pacific region. Its spicules, however, are altogether 

 monaxon. 



Another genus which may be related here was established by I. Sollas, 

 1908, page 395, from the Indian Ocean coast of Africa. This genus is called 

 Migas, and the one species is M. porphyrion. Sollas does not describe any 

 echinating spicules ; and, as these are rare in Kieplitela, they may have been 

 rare in Migas. But their presence cannot be taken for granted ; furthermore 

 Migas was not so cavernous as Kieplitela and did contain foreign material 

 (such as sand) in considerable quantity. The name Migas was preoccupied 

 in 1873 by Koch for an arachnid, therefore a new name is needed. 



GENUS MILENE, new name 



This is here established to replace the preoccupied name Migas, a genus 

 of keratose appearance with spicules exclusively oxeas, type M. porphyrion 

 I. Sollas, 1908, page 395. 



