Díaz, Alvarez & Van Soest, 1987 : 33
Prosuberites laughlini
Nichols 2005 : 82
Rützler et al. 2014 : 44
Sponges of the Guyana Shelf
Van, Rob W. M.
Zootaxa
2017
1
1
225
Diaz, Alvarez & Van Soest, 1987
Diaz, Alvarez & Van Soest
1987
[151,850,1839,1865]
Demospongiae
Suberitidae
Prosuberites
Animalia
Hadromerida
118
119
Porifera
species
laughlini
Eurypon laughlini Díaz, Alvarez & Van Soest, 1987: 33, pl. IA, text-fig. 2. Prosuberites laughlini; Nichols 2005: 82, 84 (table 1A); Rützler et al.2014: 44.
Material examined. RMNHPor. 10543, Suriname, ‘ Snellius O.C.P.S.’ GuyanaShelf Expedition, station G7, 7.28°N 56.7933°W, depth 64 m, bottom sand, 7 May 1966.
Description.( Fig. 73a) Thinly encrusting and consolidating pieces of shells and limestone. Lateral extension several cm2, thickness 1–2 mm. Surface provided with faint venal pattern. Microhispid. Color (in alcohol) pale beige. Consistency soft. Skeleton.( Fig. 73b) Single tylostyles and groups of tylostyles stand erect on a basal spongin plate, all with points directed upwards, carrying the surface membrane, the longer spicules protruding beyond it. Nospecial ectosomal skeleton. Spicules.( Figs 73c–e) Tylostyles only. Tylostyles, with prominent tyles but grading into the shaft, not abruptly set off from the shaft, in an extreme size range, divisible with considerable overlap in three length categories, with thickness almost the same in all three, (1) larger ( Figs 73c,c1) 984– 1148–1425x 11– 13.4–16 µm, (2) intermediate ( Figs 73d,d1) 402– 555–719 x 11– 11.9–14 µm, and (3) smallest ( Figs 73e,e1) 218–271–336 x 6– 9.2–13 µm.
Distribution and ecology. GuyanaShelf, Los Roques ( Venezuela), Curaçao, rocky and sandy bottoms, from shallow-water down to 64 m(previously 7–35 m).
Remarks.The recognition of the true presence of the genus Prosuberitesin the Caribbean fauna is rather recent. The earliest records of Prosuberitesspecies, P. microsclerus De Laubenfels, 1936(from Florida) and Prosuberites geracei Van Soest & Sass, 1981(from the Bahamas) turned out to be members of the genera TerpiosDuchassaing & Michelotti, 1864and Protosuberites Swartschewsky, 1905respectively (see Van Soest et al.2016). Previous assignments of specimens with the skeletal structure and spiculation described above were made by Díaz et al.(1987)to the raspailiid genus Euryponas E. laughliniand by Pulitzer-Finali (1986)to the suberitid genus Laxosuberites, as L. psammophilus(a species from the DominicanRepublic). Nichols (2005)reassigned E. laughlinito Prosuberiteson the basis of molecular sequence analysis. Rützler et al.(2014)by inference reassigned L. psammophilusto Prosuberites. These last authors added a third species, P. carriebowensis Rützler, Díaz, Piantoni & Van Soest, 2014(from Belize) to the genus. All three species appear quite similar differing in thickness, sand content and surface characters ( Rützler et al.2014), but due to the variability of tylostyle lengths and shapes, the distinction is not easy. The identification of the present material to P. laughliniis made on the basis of comparison with the typematerial of P. laughlini, paratypes ZMAPor. 0 5839 and 0 5830 from Curaçao. These are strikingly similar in spicular characters to the present specimen.
1424726295
1966-05-07
RMNH
Snellius O. C. P. S.
Suriname
64
7.28
Suriname
555
-56.7933
119
120
1
1424726283
ZMA
Van Soest
Dominican Republic
120
121
the Dominican
119
120
2
paratype