Cladorhiza similis Ridley & Dendy, 1886

Figure 16, Tables 5 & 9

Cladorhiza similis Ridley & Dendy, 1886: 343; Ridley & Dendy, 1887: 93, Pl. XX, Fig. 7, Pl. XXI, Figs. 5, 18. Lévi, 1993: 40, Fig. 14, Pl. IV, Figs. 4–6.

Material examined: Microscope slides Types BMNH 1887-5-2 - 142, BMNH 91-10 - 3-43, BMNH 91-10 - 3-44, off the Austral Islands, French Polynesia, South Pacific, Station 281, 22° 21’ S. 150° 17’ W, 4360 m depth Coll. H.M.S. Challenger, 6/x/1875 .

Distributio n: This species is presently known only from off French Polynesia and New Caledonia at 1850– 4360 m depth.

Description:

Growth form: ‘Crinorhiza’ growth form, as described by Ridley & Dendy (1887) (Figure 16 A).

Megascleres: The shorter subtylostyles are the most obvious component of the spicules, with the swelling appearing at varying heights on the necks of the subtylostyles. The large mycalostyles are much larger than the 3500 µm recorded from re-examining the type spicule preparations, but without further dissection of the holotype their maximum size cannot be ascertained (Table 9).

Microscleres: The tridentate unguiferate anisochelae are very common in the slide preparations, particularly surrounding the tracts of mycalostyles in the filaments (Table 9).

Molecular data: Nil

Remarks: Re-examination of the slides of the type has separated the subtylostyles into two size classes based on length and expanded the measurements of spicules described by Ridley & Dendy (1887). Material described by Lévi (1993) from the vicinity of New Caledonia also differentiate two size classes of the smaller subtylostyles based on significant differences in both their lengths and widths (Table 9), but these megascleres were not illustrated in his publication.