Smenospongia cf. echina (de Laubenfels, 1934)

Diaz, Maria Cristina, Nuttall, Marissa, Pomponi, Shirley A., Ruetzler, Klaus, Klontz, Sarah, Adams, Christi, Hickerson, Emma L. & Schmahl, G. P., 2023, An annotated and illustrated identification guide to common mesophotic reef sponges (Porifera, Demospongiae, Hexactinellida, and Homoscleromorpha) inhabiting Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary and vicinities, ZooKeys 1161, pp. 1-68 : 1

publication ID	https://dx.doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.1161.93754
publication LSID	lsid:zoobank.org:pub:4CE0D6C5-C304-4F74-8387-FCC71F8F8AC0
persistent identifier	https://treatment.plazi.org/id/1DD2F15E-9E2C-58BD-8632-4D4445BB07C4
treatment provided by	ZooKeys by Pensoft
scientific name	Smenospongia cf. echina (de Laubenfels, 1934)
status

Treatment

Fig. 62 View Figure 62

Diagnostic features.

Globular to cushion shape, dirty yellow to grayish in life, brownish purple in alcohol. The surface has shallow roundish warts (≤1 cm wide) but feels smooth to the touch. Oscula from 2 mm to> 1 cm wide, with a slightly elevated membrane.

Similar species.

Similar to verongiid species, Smenospongia spp. tends to turn purplish after collection.

Distribution and abundance.

Smenospongia echina occurs in low abundance at shallow and mesophotic reefs in Puerto Rico (60-72 m), Belize, Florida (Dry Tortugas), Cayman Islands, and Cuba. At FGBNMS the species occurs in rare to low abundance (1-10) at four sites.

Ecology.

Lower mesophotic reefs, coralline algae reefs.

Ideentification.

CA, KR, SK, MCD.

Reference.

van Soest 1978; Rützler et al. 2014.