SPONGES OF BEAUFORT (N. C.) HARBOR AND VICINITY. 147 
Family DESMACIDONIDA. 
The characteristic microscleres are cheloids (chele and modifications), but forms 
are included in which these spicules presumably have been lost during the course of 
evolution. 
Subfamily MYCALINA. 
Skeletal fibers, or spicular tracts, without echinating spicules and not markedly 
areniferous. The body has no fistular outgrowths. 
Stylotella Lendenfeld. 
Sponges of soft texture. Megascleres, styles in fibers or tracts and scattered. 
No microscleres. 
Stylotella heliophila Wilson. (Pl. LVIII, fig. 13; Pl. LIX, figs. 18, 19; Pl. LXVI, fig. 53a, b, c.) 
Stylotella heliophila Wilson, 1911, p. 13. 
The most abundant sponge in Beaufort Harbor; common on the bottom in shallow water attached 
to shells, also under wharves attached to piles, stones, ete. Habitus varies. Sponge incrusts the shell or 
other substratum and grows up in the shape of lobes. These may be quite independent of one another. 
More commonly the ascending lobes fuse where they touch, and thus a more compact mass is produced, 
reaching, but rarely exceeding, 100 millimeters in diameter. The surface is roughened by minute conu- 
lose elevations 14 to 1 millimeter high. Color orange, sometimes with a greenish cast. A typical speci- 
men is shown in Plate LVIII, figure 13. 
The oscula are mostly located at the ends of the vertical lobes and at the ends of tapering, more 
or less conical, outgrowths from the lobes. The pores, which in an alcoholic specimen measured from 
-20 to 45 » in diameter, are irregularly scattered in great abundance over the dermal membrane. The 
dermal membrane (PI. LIX, fig. 18) is translucent. Beneath it may be seen a richly developed system 
of conspicuous subdermal canals 3 to 4 millimeters and less in diameter. 
Spicules (P1. LXVI, fig. 53a, b,c) —The only spicules present are smooth styles, slightly curved or 
sometimes straight. Therangeofsizeis120to350nby4togu. Inaddition, there are present some very 
slender styles measuring 115 to 225 u by 2 wor less. These are scattered in the parenchyma and are 
doubtless young stages of the skeletal spicule. * 
Skeletal framework (P1. LIX, figs. 18, 19).—The spicules of the interior are irregularly scattered. 
Here and there they cross one another so as to give rise to meshes, or they may combine to form spiculo- 
fibers or tracts (fig. 19). A small amount of spongin is present in the spiculo-fibers and at some of the 
points where the spicules cross. The spicular tracts are commonly present in the trabeculae between 
the larger canals. They often fray out in a brush-like fashion at the surface. In the ectosome are 
abundant, more or less radially arranged styles, some slightly projecting. 
In the dermal membrane the styles very generally project more or less radially, frequently form- 
ing the dense brush-like groups referred to above, but between these they are scattered more or less 
tangentially (fig. 18). 
Stylotella Lendenfeld was diagnosed by its author (1888, p. 185) as follows: ‘‘ Hete- 
rorrhaphide of very soft texture. Megasclera styli, in bundles and scattered. No 
microsclera.” Dendy (1896, p. 231) deletes the genus as not distinguishable from 
Hymeniacidon Bowerbank, which he places in the Axinellide. Topsent (1899, p. 109) 
retains the genus and thinks its relationship is with Esperella (Mycale). He gives the 
following diagnosis: ‘‘Esperelline with reticular skeleton. Fibers (at least the primary 
ones) multispicular. Megascleres: styles. No microscleres.’’ Lindgren (1898, p. 313) 
follows Dendy, merging the genus in Hymeniacidon. Kirkpatrick (1900, p. 137) retains 
the genus. Topsent (1904, p. 224) criticises Dendy’s treatment of the genus and retains 
it, placing it in the Esperelline. Dendy (1905, p. 185) again records his opinion that 
