A guide to the deep-water sponges of - NMFS Scientific Publications ...

106 Professional Paper NMFS 12
88. Mycale (Aegogropila) adhaerens (Lambe, 1893)
Description. This massive or thickly encrusting sponge
has a bulbous or even fistulose surface. Oscula are
not visible. Consistency is soft and elastic. Size is to 20
cm in all dimensions. Color in life is yellow to golden
brown.
Skeletal structure. It has ectosomal reticulation of
polyspicular tracts with microscleres in-between tracts.
There is a choanosomal mesh of polyspicular tracts, often
branching. There are tylostyles (350–440 × 5–12 µm),
anisochelae arranged differently in two size classes –
large anisochelae in rosettes (75–100 µm) and small
anisochelae (18–50 µm); sigmata (45–58 µm), and
rhaphides single and in trichodragmata (45–90 µm).
Zoogeographic distribution. Widespread and common.
In Alaska – central Aleutian Islands and Bering
Sea. Elsewhere – North Pacific Ocean (Sea of Okhotsk,
Sea of Japan, Vancouver Island) and Arctic Ocean
(Greenland Sea).
Habitat. In Alaska – encrusts all hard substrates including
hydrocoral skeletons at depths between 104 and
442 m. Generally found in rough, steep-sloped habitats.
Elsewhere – on rocks, pebbles, and sand bottoms from
the intertidal zone to a depth of 270 m.
Remarks. This species encrusts hydrocorals (Stylaster
sp. and Cyclohelia lamellata) and other sedentary biota
in Aleutian Island coral gardens; inaccurately reported
in Stone (2006) as Myxilla incrustans.
Photos. 1) Fragment of a specimen collected at a
depth of 190 m in the central Aleutian Islands. Specimen
is encrusting the hydrocoral Cyclohelia lamellata.
Grid marks are 1 cm 2 . 2) Same specimen as in photo
1 (center) in situ. 3) Specimen collected at a depth of
109 m in the central Aleutian Islands.