Family Mycalidae Lundbeck, 1905

Diagonosis. Encrusting, massive, fan-shaped, and branching growth forms. Subectosomal sculpturing, grooves, and ridges are often found on the surface, within which are usually found the ostia. Skeleton plumose or plumoreticulate, composed of styles or rarely oxeas enclosed in spongin fibers or without visible spongin. Ectosomal tangential skeleton usually present. Ectosomal spicules may differ from the choanosomal ones by smaller size. Megascleres most often subtylostyles (mycalostyles), but (aniso)strongyles, oxeas, and exotyles occur occasionally. Microscleres characteristically palmate anisochelae, but also palmate isochelae, sigmas, toxas, spined microxeas and raphides may occur. (Van Soest & Hajdu, 2002).