Schmidt, 1870 : 36
Topsent, 1920 : 4
Schmidt, 1880 : 76
Oceanapia carotta
De Laubenfels 1936 : 72
Van Soest 1980 : 89
Sponges of the Guyana Shelf
Van, Rob W. M.
Zootaxa
2017
1
1
225
48BV5
Schmidt, 1870
Schmidt
1870
[151,577,1036,1062]
Demospongiae
Phloeodictyidae
Oceanapia
Animalia
Haplosclerida
44
45
Porifera
species
carotta
Rhizochalina carotta Schmidt, 1870: 36, pl. IV fig. 2; Topsent, 1920: 4. ? Rhizochalina fibulata Schmidt, 1880: 76. Oceanapia carotta; De Laubenfels 1936: 72.
Oceanapia oleracea; Van Soest 1980: 89, pl. XIV fig. 2, text-fig. 33. (?Not: Rhizochalina oleracea Schmidt, 1870; nec sensu Wilson 1902, De Laubenfels 1947, Wells et al.1960, Little 1963)
Material examined. RMNHPor. 6300, Suriname, ‘ Luymes O.C.P.S.’ GuyanaShelf Expedition, station K101B, 7.3783°N 54.3583°W, depth 93 m, rectangular dredge, 17 April 1969.
Description.( Fig. 28a) About ten small rounded specimens, 1–2 cmin diameter and some fragments of larger fistules, 4–5 cmlong, up to 1 cmin diameter, with branching apices. Color pinkish light brown. Skeleton.Ectosomal skeleton of the main body consists of intercrossing single oxeas forming a feltwork-like skin. That of the fistules ( Fig. 28b) is a double layered single spicule reticulation supported by long subectosomal spicule tracts. The choanosomal skeleton of the main body ( Fig. 28c) is an irregular system of very thick tracts, 120–180 µm in thickness (15+ spicules in cros section) inbetween which is a confused mass of single spicules. Spicules.( Figs 28d–e) Oxeas, sigmas. Oxeas ( Fig. 28d), curved, abruptly pointed, in a large size range, but no clear spicule categories, 105– 180–241 x 4– 8.1–11 µm. Sigmas ( Figs 28e), symmetrical, shallowly incurved, in a large size range, 15– 23.1–33 µm.
Distribution and ecology. GuyanaShelf, Florida? (no locality known), Barbados?, Puerto Rico, Brazil?, muddy sand bottoms at 72–93 mdepth.
Remarks.The possession of large numbers of sigmas conforms to Topsent’s (1920) redescription of Rhizochalina carotta. The size of the present specimens and fragments is here interpreted as juveniles, because Schmidt’s illustration (1870, pl. IV fig. 2) is of a much larger individual. O. carottais here revived, from a suggested junior synonymy with Oceanapia oleracea( Schmidt, 1870), which ignores the importance of the presence of microscleres (e.g. Van Soest 1980). The only author who so far studied the typematerial of both species, Topsent (1920), listed sufficient differences to throw doubt on this synonymy. Schmidt’s(1880) Rhizochalina fibulatafrom Barbadosis a possible synonym of this species, as he mentioned the presence of numerous sigmas. Thespecimen was collected at considerable depth, 518 m.
1424726457
1969-04-17
RMNH
Luymes O. C. P. S.
Suriname
93
7.3783
Suriname
7
-54.3583
44
45
1
1424726452
Barbados
518
Schmidt's
The
45
46
518