Crella (Pytheas) chelifera Van Soest, 1984

Van, Rob W. M., 2017, Sponges of the Guyana Shelf, Zootaxa 1, pp. 1-225 : 138-139

Crella (Pytheas) chelifera Van Soest, 1984

Figures 85 a–f

Material examined. RMNH Por. 10544, Suriname, ‘ Snellius O.C.P.S. ’ Guyana Shelf Expedition, station B23A, 7.297°N 55.3883°W, depth 99–101 m, Van Veen grab, 27 April 1966 .

Description. Small patches on dead bryozoans, together only a few mm 2 in size. Surface smooth, no openings were observed. Color (alcohol) whitish.

Skeleton. Ectosomal tangential skeleton ( Fig. 85 a) of tightly packed acanthoxeas, carried by bundles of tornotes, towards the substratum replaced by long acanthostyles. Bundles echinated by small acanthostyles. Chelae scattered in the interior and occasionally occurring in the surface crust.

Spicules. ( Figs 85 b–f) Acanthostyles, tornotes, acanthoxeas, isochelae.

Acanthostyles, in two size classes, (1) long, ( Figs 85 b,b1) straight, spined heavily in the upper part, but more lightly towards the pointed end, 243– 277 –330 x 9 – 10.8 –13 µm, and (2) short ( Fig. 85 c), stubby, spined all over, 72– 95 –111 x 6.5– 8.2 –9 µm.

Tornotes ( Figs 85 d,d1), smooth, slightly different endings on opposite sides, faintly polytylote, 236– 291 –327 x 4.5– 5.7 –7.5 µm.

Acanthoxeas ( Fig. 85 e), straight or slightly curved, heavily and uniformly spined, 112– 137 –159 x 5 – 7.4 –9 µm.

Arcuate isochelae ( Fig. 85 f), rather narrow, with slightly incurved alae, 28– 30.9 –35 µm.

Distribution and ecology. Guyana Shelf, Barbados, on muddy sand at 90–101 m depth.

Remarks. There are a few small differences between the description of the type from Barbados and the present specimen (megascleres are somewhat thinner in the type, chelae are smaller, 19–24 µm), but overall similarity is great and conspecificity obvious.

Figures

FIGURE 85. Crella (Pytheas) chelifera Van Soest, 1984, a, light microscopic image of surface skeleton, b – f, SEM images of spicules, b, long acanthostyle, b 1, detail of b, c, short acanthostyle, d, tornote, d 1, details of d, e, acanthoxea, f, arcuate isochela. Crella chelifera Van Soest, 1984: 77, text-fig. 28; Van Soest & Stentoft 1988: 122.