Stellettinopsis megastylifera ( Wintermann-Kilian & Kilian, 1984 )

Ugalde, Diana, Fernandez, Julio C. C., Gómez, Patricia, Lôbo-Hajdu, Gisele & Simões, Nuno, 2021, An update on the diversity of marine sponges in the southern Gulf of Mexico coral reefs, Zootaxa 5031 (1), pp. 1-112 : 74-75

publication ID	https://doi.org/ 10.11646/zootaxa.5031.1.1
publication LSID	lsid:zoobank.org:pub:CC3A59D1-E09E-407E-93F4-4796FD3D7C19
persistent identifier	https://treatment.plazi.org/id/110587B3-4D42-485B-FF53-FAD84BAB3052
treatment provided by	Plazi
scientific name	Stellettinopsis megastylifera ( Wintermann-Kilian & Kilian, 1984 )
status

Treatment

Stellettinopsis megastylifera ( Wintermann-Kilian & Kilian, 1984) View in CoL

Tables 6, 7; Figs. 67A–I View FIGURE 67 , 70L View FIGURE 70

Synonymy: Ecionemia megastylifera Wintermann-Kilian (1984: 122) , Cardenas et al. (2009: 12); Ancorina megastylifera , Ecionemia dominicana , Ecionemia sp. , Stellettinopsis dominicana , and Stellettinopsis megastylifera : see references compiled in van Soest (2017: 78).

Type locality. Colombia .

Material examined. CNPGG-2446, Isla Verde reef (19.20588°N, 96.07305°W), 11 m depth, coll. Diana Ugal- de, 31 August 2018 GoogleMaps .

Description. Encrusting habit on coral rubble ( Fig. 70L View FIGURE 70 ), covered by sand, 10 ×7 × 2 cm. The surface is hispid with some scattered pores. Oscules elevated. The color in vivo is black in the outside, and beige inside, the same color preserved in ethanol. The consistency is hard.

Skeleton. Ectosomal skeleton with some spicules perpendicular to paratangential arrangement, and choanosomal region with quite a few disordered spicules ( Fig. 67A View FIGURE 67 ). Microscleres below the surface and scattered in choanosomal region too.

Spicules. Megascleres: Oxeas in two categories. Larger oxeas I ( Fig. 67B View FIGURE 67 – 1 View FIGURE 1 ), fusiform, slightly curved, and smooth, with sharp tips, hastate to stylote: 760– 1176.7 (225.3)–1650/20– 42.4 (16.5)–70 µm. Small oxeas II ( Fig. 67B View FIGURE 67 – 2 View FIGURE 2 ), less abundant, smaller, and thinner than oxeas I; 430– 936 (166.9)–1050/10– 26.9 (6.9)–35 µm. Microxeas (rare; n = 1) 420/2.5 µm. Dichotriaene (rare; n = 1), stout with short cladomes; rhabdomes 420/30 µm, clads 80/25 µm ( Fig. 67D View FIGURE 67 ). Plagiotriaenes smaller in size than dichotriaenes ( Fig. 67C, F View FIGURE 67 ) probably transitional forms of dichotriaenes. Protriaenes (rare; n = 2), stout with short cladomes; rhabdomes 610– 705 (134.4)–800/10– 20 (14.1)–30 µm, clads 25– 40 (21.2)–55/9– 19.5 (14.8)–30 µm (67E). Microscleres: Acanthomicrorhabds fusiform with blunt tips; 40– 60.3 (14.5)–80/4– 4.8 (0.4)–5 µm ( Figs. 67G, I View FIGURE 67 ). Acanthoxyasters; 7.5– 10 (2.7)–14.5 µm in diameter ( Fig. 67H View FIGURE 67 – 1 View FIGURE 1 ). Acanthostrongylasters; 3.5– 4.5 (0.6)–5 µm in diameter ( Fig. 67H View FIGURE 67 – 2 View FIGURE 2 ).

Distribution. Mexico (current records), Cuba ( Alcolado 2002), Bahamas, other countries in the Caribbean Sea ( Cárdenas et al. 2009; Ecionemia ), Guyana ( van Soest 2017).

Remarks. According to recent studies ( Cárdenas et al. 2009; van Soest 2017), morphology and spicule measurements, our specimen matches with Stellettinopsis megastylifera . Our specimen did not have anatriaenes, in comparison with specimens from Bocas del Toro recorded in Cárdenas et al. (2009). However, anatriaenes seem to be an uncommon spicule because neither the holotype nor van Soest’s (2017) specimens have them. Van Soest (2017) mentioned that S. megastylifera was distributed in the GoM, nonetheless, this record probably refers to the listed species of Alcolado (2002) in Cuba. Thus, this can be considered the first record of S. megastylifera for the GoM.