Cinachyrella kuekenthali ( Uliczka, 1929 )

Rützler, Klaus, Piantoni, Carla, Van, Rob W. M. & Díaz, Cristina, 2014, Diversity of sponges (Porifera) from cryptic habitats on the Belize barrier reef near Carrie Bow Cay, Zootaxa 3805 (1), pp. 1-129 : 18-19

Cinachyrella kuekenthali ( Uliczka, 1929)

Synonymy and references. Cinachyrella kuekenthali ( Uliczka, 1929) : Rützler & Smith (1992): 154, figs. 4, 5.

Material. USNM 1228907, Curlew Bank forereef cave, 20 m; C. Piantoni col. 29 Jun 2007. USNM 1228908, Curlew Bank forereef cave, 20 m; C. Piantoni col. 2 Jul 2007. USNM 1228909, Curlew Bank, forereef slope (wall), 50-150 cm inside framework cave, ceiling, 20 m; C. Piantoni and M. Parrish, col. 22 Aug 2012.

External morphology. Bright yellow balls, 24–26 mm in diameter, almost entirely encrusted by thin, leaf-like layers of bright red crustose coralline algae. A few irregularly dispersed porocalices are on top of the specimens, 1.5–3 mm in diameter.

Skeleton structure. Spicules are arranged radially; there is no cortex.

Spicules. There are oxeas in three size classes, averaging 3,200 x 35 Μm, 2200 x 8 Μm, and 160 x 3 Μm, the smallest one finely spinose; protriaenes and -diaenes in one size class (3800 x11 Μm rhabds, 50 Μm clads), less common anatriaenes (3,700 x 6 Μm rhabds, 39 Μm clads), and relatively (to other species in the genus) large, microspined sigmaspires (17 Μm). Because most spicules are broken on the slide, measurements (except for the small, microspined oxeas and the sigmaspires) are estimates from fragments; they are however within the ranges given in Rützler & Smith (1992).

Ecology. Typically an open, shallow-reef species, less common in caves, 20 m; also dredged from 100 m.

Distribution. From North Carolina to Florida, the Bahamas, Gulf of Mexico, Caribbean, and Northeastern Brazil.

Comments. This is a rare record of the species from a semi-dark cave, where it was attached to the ceiling.