Ectyoplasia ferox ( Duchassaing & Michelotti, 1864 )

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 : 63-64

Ectyoplasia ferox ( Duchassaing & Michelotti, 1864)

Synonymy and references. Ectyoplasia ferox ( Duchassaing & Michelotti, 1864) : Zea (1987): 202, fig. 73, pl. 12: 6–7.

Material. USNM 1229035, Carrie Bow Cay, forereef cave, 22 m; K. Ruetzler col. 24 Apr 1974. USNM 1229036, Carrie Bow Cay, forereef slope, coral rock underside, 25 m; K. Ruetzler col. 26 Apr 1974. USNM 1229037 Curlew Bank, forereef cave, 20 m; C. Piantoni col. 28 Jun 2007. USNM 1229038, 1229039, Curlew Bank, forereef cave, 20 m; C. Piantoni col. 2 Jul 2007. USNM 1229040, 1229041, 1229042, Carrie Bow Cay, South reef, lower surface of rock slab, 1m; K. Ruetzler col. 13 Mar 0 9. USNM 1229043, Curlew Bank forereef cave, 18 m; C. Piantoni & M. Parrish col. 25 Aug 2012.

External morphology. Thick cushions (1–4 cm) extending to 150 cm 2 area, with oscula elevated on cones, volcano-like. Oscular diameters 3–7 mm. Surface smooth to velvety and verrucose. Consistency firm, elastic, but easily crumbled. Color rich, clear orange to orange brown, to ochre, purplish and grayish brown, yellow orange, and yolk yellow; interior lighter, cream to yellow.

Skeleton structure. The choanosome is very porous but supported by ascending, plumose spicule tracts that branch and coalesce; in between the columns, spicules are found in halichondriid arrangement, without particular orientation. There is no ectosomal specialization.

Spicules. The spiculation consists of robust styles, mixed with a varying number of delicate acanthostyles. The styles are curved or sharply bent at the upper third of their length (near the blunt end): 286 –370 x 9–17 (359 x 14) Μm; acanthostyles are have most spination on the lower half (toward the point) and are smooth above; in many, the longest spines are surrounding the point, perpendicular to the main axis: 114–180 x 4–11 (156 x 6) Μm.

Ecology. Common on the open forereef but also under rocks and in caves, 1– 25 m. One cave specimen ( USNM 1229043) fully overgrew another sponge, Iotrochota birotulata .

Distribution. Florida, Bahamas, and Caribbean.

Comments. Specimens from the light-exposed open reef tend to form groups of laterally fused tubes; the encrusting shape seems typical for caves and other cryptic habitats.