The secondary metabolite content of four different species of Agelas (Porifera) from the West Indies has been studied. All the compounds isolated are already known metabolites whose identification was confirmed by comparison of their spectral properties with those reported in the literature. They pertain to two different classes of compounds: terpenoids and pyrrole-2-carboxylic acid derivatives. The chemotaxonomic value of these secondary metabolites has been evaluated. Their distribution amongst the Porifera, as well as that of isocyanide derivatives, suggests a close relationship between the Agelasidae, the Axinellidae and the Halichondriidae.