Chalinula aff. molitba (de Laubenfels, 1949)
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publication ID |
https://doi.org/ 10.11646/zootaxa.5031.1.1 |
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publication LSID |
lsid:zoobank.org:pub:CC3A59D1-E09E-407E-93F4-4796FD3D7C19 |
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persistent identifier |
https://treatment.plazi.org/id/110587B3-4D2B-4830-FF53-FBD749E336EA |
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treatment provided by |
Plazi |
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scientific name |
Chalinula aff. molitba (de Laubenfels, 1949) |
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Chalinula aff. molitba (de Laubenfels, 1949) View in CoL
Tables 6, 7; Figs. 25A–C View FIGURE 25 , 36J View FIGURE 36
Synonymy and references: Haliclona molitba de Laubenfels (1949, 9); Haliclona crassiloba de Laubenfels (1950: 47) , Chalinula molitba: De Weerdt (2000: 55 with additional references and synonymy); Ugalde et al. (2015: 175).
Type locality. Bermuda .
Material examined. CNPGG-2359, Banco Obispo Sur reef (20.42345°N, - 92.22743°W), 9 m depth, coll. Oscar Bocardo, 14 September 2017.
Description. Encrusting habit; size 6 ×1.5 × 0.3 cm ( Fig. 36J View FIGURE 36 ). Surface smooth, microhispid, and entirely covered by several pores and small oscules (1 mm in diameter); all apertures scattered on the surface. Purple color in vivo, and light brown in ethanol. Consistency is highly compressible.
Skeleton. Reticulation uni to paucispicular tracts, forming irregularly to rectangular meshes 150–300 µm in diameter, larger than one spicule in length ( Figs. 25A–B View FIGURE 25 ). Spongin moderate to abundant.
Spicules. Megascleres: Oxeas slender, slightly curved, and smooth ( Fig. 25C View FIGURE 25 ). Tips sharp, acerate to hastate; 90– 108 (9.4)–120/2.4– 2.7 (0.3)–3.5 µm.
Distribution. Mexico ( Ugalde et al. 2015; current record), Bermuda, Bahamas, US (North Carolina, Florida) through the Caribbean Sea (de Weerdt 2000).
Remarks. Our specimen match with the characteristics of the species, known for the extreme variation in morphology. De Weerdt (2000) reported specimens forming dense clusters of tubes, solid branches, or being simply encrusting. She also reported significant variability of skeletal architecture features, intergrading from spongindominated skeletons cored by oxeas to spicule-dominated skeletons forming unispicular isotropic reticulations. On account of spicule dimensions, they vary according to the skeletal arrangement, 45.4–99 × 0.5–2.6 µm in spongin dominated skeletons; 65.9–144 × 1.3–7 µm in spicule dominated skeletons (de Weerdt 2000). Chalinula aff. molitba has been recorded in different localities in the TNwA. De Weerdt (2000) recorded the species in the northern GoM, and recently the species was recorded by Ugalde et al. (2015) from Alacranes reef in the SGoM.
Genus Haliclona Grant, 1841
Subgenus Haliclona (Gellius) Gray, 1867
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