196 THE SPONGES OF THE WEST-CENTRAL PACIFIC 



Even the hispidating spicules occasionally have the blunt end out, although 

 the conventional placement is more common. 



The skeleton consists of monaxon spicules of two conspicuously different 

 size ranges. The larger size are styles to subtylostyles ; the diameter of the 

 heads is scarcely any greater than the diameter of the thickest portion of the 

 shaft. These reach a thickness of 28 p. to 30 /x and a length of between 5 and 

 6 mm. They are perpendicular to the surface and constitute the hispidation 

 which is described above. The spicules of the second category are strewn in 

 confusion between the larger ones; in the flesh they are exclusively styles, 

 4 [i by 640 fx in dimensions. 



The genus Dictyonella, as of the time of writing, comprised some six 

 species names, all from the Mediterranean region and all for specimens very 

 much like each other. Thus, it is here considered that only a single species is 

 really represented. This first was called Acanthella obtusa by Schmidt, 1862, 

 page 65, and referred to Dictyonella by Topsent, 1938, page 10. This Euro- 

 pean species is more or less orange, whereas the one from the western Pacific 

 is slate over green. The European species is scarcely hispid at all, in contrast 

 to the conspicuous hispidation of this new species. The European Dictyonella 

 has monaxons of only one size range, exclusively styles, where the present 

 species has subtylostyles in part and definitely two size ranges. The spicules 

 of dasyphylla also are much larger than the largest of any of the European 

 forms. 



The specific name here selected is derived from the Greek words for 

 "shaggy" and "leaf" and is descriptive of the appearance of the sponge in 

 question. 



GENUS HOPLOCHALINA Lendenfeld 

 Hoplochalina agoga, new 



Text Figure No. 133 



This species is here represented by the following. 

 U.S.N.M. No. 23126, My No. M. 508, here designated as type, collected 

 September 2, 1949, northwest of Koror in the Palaus near Ngarebagal 

 Islet. The depth was 3 meters, and the substrate was dead coral. Only the 

 one specimen was found. 



^_ —— _________ Text Figure No. 133. Spicule (oxea) of 



. - Hoplochalina agoga, X 182. 



This is a subspherical sponge, 4 cm in height and 5 by 6 cm in lateral 

 dimensions. 



The color in life was a lovely rose red, verging slightly towards purple. 

 The endosome, in contrast, was paler pinkish rose, not at all purplish. The 

 consistency was spongy, emitting a great deal of slime upon handling. 



