Dercitus Stoeba pauper Sollas, 1902

Van Soest, Rob W. M., Beglinger, Elly J. & De Voogd, Nicole J., 2010, Skeletons in confusion: a review of astrophorid sponges with (dicho-) calthrops as structural megascleres (Porifera, Demospongiae, Astrophorida), ZooKeys 68, pp. 1-88 : 25

Dercitus Stoeba pauper Sollas, 1902

Dercitus pauper Sollas 1902: 218, pl. XVI fig. 1.

Material examined.

None. Holotype specimen, collected by R. Evans from Great Redang Island, Malaysia, could not be found in BMNH (2009).

Description

(from Sollas, 1902). Sponge encrusting a dead coral fragment, 50 ×5×1– 2 mm, surface smooth, shining; no oscules. Colour pink.

Spicules: Megascleres dominated by small dichocalthrops, but there are also small calthrops.

Calthrops have cladi of 60-70 × 3 µm (computed cladomes 90-115 µm diameter).

Dichocalthrops with protocladi 50-60 × 10 µm, deuterocladi 30 µm and rabdome 80 µm (computed cladomes 160-180 µm in diameter).

Sanidasters long and thin, with oxea-like shape: 15-20 × 1 µm.

Habitat.

Intertidal, occurring on dead coral fragments.

Distribution.

So far only known from Great Redang Island, one of the coral islands of the state of Trengganu at approx. 5°N on the E coast of Malaysia.

Remarks.

By the small size of the dichocalthrops this species appears similar to Dercitus (Stoeba) occultus (see below), but that species lacks calthrops, and details of spiculation appear different (longer protocladi and shorter deuterocladi in Dercitus (Stoeba) pauper ). Dercitus (Halinastra) sibogae sp. n. (see below) also has small dichocalthrops, but this likewise lacks calthrops and the microscleres are differentiated in long and thin and short and fat sanidasters, not reported for Dercitus (Stoeba) pauper . All three species are tropical shallow-water sponges occurring in West Pacific - East Indian Ocean waters.