Thoosa calpulli Carballo, Cruz-Barraza & Gómez, 2004

Pacheco, Cristian, Carballo, José Luis, Cortés, Jorge, Segovia, Johanna & Trejo, Alejandra, 2018, Excavating sponges from the Pacific of Central America, descriptions and a faunistic record, Zootaxa 4370 (5), pp. 451-491 : 478-480

Thoosa calpulli Carballo, Cruz-Barraza & Gómez, 2004

Material examined. ICMYL.Tca.140.E: Bahía Culebra, 5 m, 12. II.2011, coll. and det. Cristian Pacheco Solano. ICMARES . UES.CI.72: Playa el Faro, Los Cóbanos , El Salvador, <3 m, 24.X.2016, coll. Alejandra Trejo, det. José Luis Carballo .

External morphology. Endolithic sponge in alpha morphology. Material not sufficient to allow full description of external characters. Live color yellow.

Excavation. No data available.

Spicules. Megascleres as oxeas, spined or smooth, centrotylote or simple ( Fig. 32 ). According to length, two types of oxeas. Smaller oxea dimensions: 27.5–101.5 (x=¯54.7, σ=18.1) x 1.5–9 µm (x=¯4.8, σ=2.1); larger oxea dimensions: 110–297 µm (x̅ =196.2, σ=69.1) x 3.5–13 µm (x̅ =8.2, σ=3.2). Microscleres as oxyaster derivates and amphiasters ( Fig. 31 , 32 ). Smooth oxyasters with actines extending from nodular centre, form variable depending on number of actines, ranging between two and four (V-shaped biactine, triactine or tetractine). Dimensions of oxyaster actines: 17.5–51 µm (x̅ =31.1, σ=9.4) x 1–4 µm (x̅ =1.9, σ=0.8). Amphiasters with five or six actines with microspination on each axis, actine tips coniform or as branch terminating in groups of spines or hooks. Depending on actine lengths, amphiasters symmetric or asymmetric. Amphiaster length from tip to tip 7.9–17.3 µm (x̅ =12.9, σ=3.5), axis width 1.0–2.2 µm (x̅ =1.6, σ=0.4), actine length 1–5 µm (x̅ =3.6, σ=1.5).

Ecology. Found at 5 m depth.

Distribution and previous records. T. calpulli was described by Carballo et al. (2004) from Nayarit, Mexican Pacific. In this study it was found in El Salvador and Costa Rica ( Fig. 33 ). This represents new records for the two countries, as well as for Central America.

Remarks. The characteristic ornamentation of amphiasters with conical spines, and the spicular complex with tylostyles, oxyasters and centrotylotes oxeas distinguished this species from other Thoosa ( Carballo et al. 2004) .

Figures

FIGURE 31. Spicules of Thoosa calpulli: A) symmetric amphiasters, B) reduced oxyasters, with the upper one in the “birdwing” form, C) asymmetric amphiasters.

FIGURE 32. Spicules of Thoosa calpulli: A) triradiate oxyasters, B) centrotylote oxea (also a reduced oxyaster) and microspined oxea, C) biradiate oxyasters in “bird-wing” form.

FIGURE 33.Distribution of Thoosa calpulli in the study area.