Cinachyrella apion ( Uliczka, 1929 )

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 : 79

Cinachyrella apion ( Uliczka, 1929)

Tables 6, 7; Figs. 72A–F , 79B

Synonymy: Cinachyra apion Uliczka (1929: 43) , and Muricy et al. (2011: 168); Cinachyra rhizophyta : see references compiled in Muricy et al. (2011: 168); Cinachyrella apion: Hajdu et al. (2011: 63) , Muricy et al. (2011: 168), and Rützler et al. (2009: 295).

Type locality. The Virgin Islands .

Material examined. CNPGG-2189, Cayo Arcas reef (20.20512°N, 91.96305°W), 0.5 m depth, coll. Diana Ugalde, 19 August 2018 .

Description. Spherical habit ( Fig. 79B ); the overall size is 2 cm in diameter by 1.5 cm high. The surface is hispid with two large lateral porocalices, 0.6 cm in diameter. Yellow color in vivo and beige preserved in ethanol. The consistency is compressible.

Skeleton. Compact radial skeleton formed by tracts of oxeas ( Fig. 72A ). Cladomes of triaenes that reinforce the main tracts of oxeas protruding outside the surface. Sigmaspires throughout the whole skeleton.

Spicules. Megascleres: Oxeas, straight, fusiform, and smooth ( Fig. 72B ); 1800– 2039.7 (348.9)–2440/19– 23.3 (6.7)–31 µm. Two categories of protriaenes: Protriaenes I ( Figs. 72B – 1 , D), the only rhabdome is broken (length was not measured); 5– 6.4 (1.7)–8.3 µm thickness of rhabdome. Clads; 75.7– 102.4 (27.2)–130/3.8– 4.5 (1.1)–5.8 µm. Protriaene II ( Fig. 72E, n = 1), one rhabdome broken (length was not measured); 1.6 µm thick. Clads; 39/1.6 µm. Anatriaene ( Fig. 72C, n = 1), rhabdome is broken (length was not measured); 5.9 µm thick. Clads; 12/7 µm. Microscleres: Sigmaspires ( Figs. 72C, D, E ), 12– 13 (1)–14 µm in length. Raphides broken ( Fig. 72F ).

Distribution. Mexico (current record), US (Florida) ( Little 1963), Bermuda, Bahamas, Cuba, Belize, Panama, other countries in the Caribbean Sea, and Brazil ( Cárdenas et al. 2009).

Remarks. Cinanchyrella apion is widely distributed in the western Atlantic ( Rützler & Smith 1992; Hajdu et al. 2011). Apart from raphides, our material has the same types of spicules as known specimens of C. apion from the Caribbean and Brazilian areas ( Rützler & Smith 1992; Hajdu et al. 2011). In addition, triaenes are rare in our material. Unfortunately, only one specimen was found in our study. In the GoM, C. apion has been reported in Florida ( Little 1963); thus, this is the first record of the species for the SGoM.

Figures

FIGURE 1. Map of sampling localities explored in this study in the southern Gulf of Mexico. The localities include 16 coral reefs from Veracruz to Campeche Bank and one station in the Chelem lagoon in Yucatan Peninsula.

FIGURE 72. Cinachyrella apion (Uliczka, 1929) (CNPGG-2189), skeleton and spicules: A. transversal section of the skeleton; B. oxeas and Protriaenes I, arrows pointing to the protriaenes; C. anatriaene, arrows pointing to sigmaspires; D. Protriaene I, the arrow pointing to sigmaspires; E. Protriaene II, the arrow pointing to a sigmaspire; F. raphides. Scale bars: A–B = 500 µm; C = 25 µm; D = 50 µm; E = 20 µm; F = 50 µm.

FIGURE 79. In situ photographs of species analyzed in the present study: A. Erylus formosus Sollas, 1886 (CNPGG-2202); B. Cinanchyrella apion (Uliczka, 1929) (CNPGG-2189); C. Cinanchyrella kuekenthali (Uliczka, 1929) (CNPGG-2190); D. Igernella notabilis (Duchassaing & Michelotti, 1864) (CNPGG-2234); E. Dysidea etheria de Laubenfels, 1936 (CNPGG-2199); F. Ircinia strobilina (Lamarck, 1816) (not collected) G. Ircinia strobilina (Lamarck, 1816) (CNPGG-2263); H. Hyattella cavernosa (Pallas, 1766) (CNPGG-2260); I. Spongia (S.) obscura Hyatt, 1877 (CNPGG-2177). Scale bars, A–H = 1 cm.