170 
PACIFIC SCIENCE, Vol. XIX, April 1965 
TABLE 9 
SPECIES 
MEGASCLERES 
SIGMAS 
Mycale cecilia 
Panama de L., 1936 
tylostyles 
300 X 7-10A6 
30/a 
Mycale cecilia 
Hawaii de L., 1950 
long headed tylostyles 
figure indicates styles 
240-250 X 4-6/a 
30-42/a 
Mycale maunakea 
Hawaii de L., 1951 
tylostyles 
160-240 X 2 -6/a 
(210 X 5/a) 
37-42/a 
Mycale senegalense 
Levi 
subtylostyles ovoid 
heads 220-280 X ? 
30-40/a 
Mycale phyllophila 
Hentschel, 1911, 
Australia 
tylostyles to 
subtylostyles 
206-259 X 4-5/a 
31-40/a 
Mycale fistulata 
Hentschel, Australia 
subtylostyles 
248-296 X 3-4/a 
42-65/a 
M. fistulata var. micro- 
sigmatosa Arndt, 
1927, Curasao 
subtylostyles 
250-294 X 3/a 
32-38/a 
Mycale lissochela 
Palau Is. 
subtylostyles 
19-40/a 
ANISOCHELAE 
HABIT 
COLOR 
22-25/a 
12-15/a 
narrow alae 
encrusting 
green with 
red embryos 
15-24/a 
no mention of 2 
categories, narrow 
encrusting 
variable 
13-22/a 
encrusting 
pale pink 
20-22/a 
encrusting 
gray-red 
19-20/a 
(6/a across) 
11-12/a 
(4/a across) 
encrusting 
24-26 X 7-9/a 
encrusting to erect 
15 cm 
8-19/a 
encrusting 
13-20/a 
encrusting 
Laubenfels is distinctive only in the possession 
of a completely non-reticulate skeleton. 
Mycale lissochela differs from other species 
in this group in having tangential megascleres 
in the dermis, not regularly arranged but cer- 
tainly representing a dermal skeleton. This spe- 
cies is closest to M. phyllophila Hentschel; the 
chief difference between the two is in the 
spiculation of the epidermis, which consists of 
irregularly strewn megascleres in M. lissochela 
and of microscleres only in Hentschel’s species. 
In the absence of large population samples it is 
difficult to evaluate the significance of this dif- 
ference. In view of the emphasis placed on the 
morphology of the dermis in the systematics of 
the genus Mycale, it is preferable to note the 
differences rather than to ignore them by sy- 
nonymizing the two species. 
There are other species mentioned by Burton 
as being part of this group; of these Mycale 
euplectelloides Row, M. regularis Wilson, and 
M. imperfecta Baer have much larger sigmas 
and have a fibroreticulate skeleton, and Mycale 
fstulifera Row has a distinct lobate habit. My- 
cale mytilorum Annadale may belong to this 
group, but this reference cannot be verified. 
Mycale ( Aegagrophila ) cavernosa n. sp. 
Fig. l^a, b, c 
OCCURRENCE: Sta. 125 (a single specimen 
which is designated Holotype, USNM 23703). 
DESCRIPTION: Two fragments of this sponge 
were obtained; it appears to have grown up- 
right from a broad base of attachment. The 
fragments are lobate, much folded, and give 
the impression of having shrunken and dis- 
torted considerably after fixation; both contain 
large quantities of fine debris. Dimensions are 
5 cm high, 20 cm wide, 1.5 cm thick; and 5 cm 
high, 2.5 cm wide, 0.7 cm thick. 
COLOR: In alcohol, is grayish-white. 
TEXTURE: The sponge is soft but slightly 
elastic. 
