Monanchora arbuscula ( Duchassaing & Michelotti, 1864 )

Ugalde, Diana, Fernandez, Julio C. C., Gómez, Patricia, Lôbo-Hajdu, Gisele & Simões, Nuno, 2021, An update on the diversity of marine sponges in the southern Gulf of Mexico coral reefs, Zootaxa 5031 (1), pp. 1-112 : 53

Monanchora arbuscula ( Duchassaing & Michelotti, 1864)

Tables 6, 7; Figs. 47A–F , 58B

Synonymy and references: Pandaros arbusculum Duchassaing & Michelotti (1864: 88) ; Monanchora arbuscula: Gómez (2002: 79) , Hajdu et al. (2011: 146), Muricy et al. (2011), Rützler et al. (2014: 64), Pérez et al. (2017: 11), van Soest (2017: 136), and Esteves et al. (2018: 463, in part); Echinostylinos unguiferus , Echinostylinos (?) unguiferus , Monanchora barbadensis [in part], Monanchora unguifera , Monanchora sp. 1 , Monanchora sp. 2 , Mycale sp. , Pandaros arbusculum , Prosuberites scarlatum and Ptilocaulis aff. spiculifer , see references compiled in Esteves et al. (2018: 463).

Type locality. St. Thomas ( US Virgin Islands) .

Material examined. CNPGG-1815, Alacranes reef (22.3883°N, - 89.7024°W), 12 m depth, coll. Patricia Gómez, 05 August 2012 ; CNPGG-1822, Sisal reef (21.43977°N, 90.2866°W), 10 m depth, coll. Diana Ugalde, 22 June 2016 ; CNPGG-2006, Cayo Nuevo reef (21.8278°N, 92.0773°W), 15 m depth, coll. Diana Ugalde, 18 June 2016 ; CNPGG-2204, Cayo Arcas reef (20.20183°N, 91.97583°W), 6.4 m depth, coll. Diana Ugalde, 20 August 2018 ; CNPGG-2271, Triangulos Este reef (20.89765°N, 92.24218°W), 12 m depth, coll. Oscar Bocardo, 11 September 2017 ; CNPGG-2418, Isla Verde reef (19.19844°N, 96.19844°W), 3.8 m depth, coll. Diana Ugalde, 28 August 2018 .

Distribution. Mexico ( Gómez 2007; current records), Guyana ( van Soest 2017), US (Florida), other Caribbean Sea countries, Brazil ( Esteves et al. 2018).

Remarks. Monanchora arbuscula has been reported in the southern ( Gómez 2002, 2007) and northern sector of the GoM (de Laubenfels 1953). Here, recorded again from the southern sector. Monanchora arbuscula has been considered a species complex by Esteves et al. (2018), who proposed three new species from materials then considered to belong in M. arbuscula , viz. M. coccinea Esteves et al, 2018 , M. bahamensis Esteves et al, 2018 and M. megasigmifera Esteves et al, 2018 . The authors mention that M. arbuscula has a considerable morphological variability, and sometimes the microscleres can be lacking. Our material is represented by specimens with a thin encrusting habit, and microscleres are present (viz., sigmoid chelae and unguiferate anchorate isochelae), except acanthomicrorhabds, but according to Esteves et al. (2018) the occurrence of acanthomicrorhabds is rare.

Figures

FIGURE 47. Monanchora arbuscula (Duchassaing & Michelotti, 1864) (CNPGG-2204), skeleton and spicules: A. transversal section of the skeleton; B. detail of choanosomal region; C. choanosomal subtylostyles; D. ectosomal subtylostyles, the arrow pointing to an anchorate chelae; E. ectosomal subtylostyles, the arrow pointing to a sigmoid chelae; F. Sigma. Scale bars: A = 500 µm; B = 250 µm; C = 150 µm; D–E = 20 µm; F = 10.

FIGURE 58. In situ photographs of species analyzed in the present study: A. Acarnus innominatus Gray, 1867 (CNPGG-2393); B. Monanchora arbuscula (Duchassaing & Michelotti, 1864) (CNPGG-2204); C. Strongylacidon bermuda (de Laubenfels, 1950) (CNPGG-2170); D. Desmapsamma anchorata (Carter, 1882) (CNPGG-2443); E. Iotrochota arenosa Rützler, Maldonado, Piantoni & Riesgo, 2007 (CNPGG-2422); F. Mycale (Mycale) laevis (Carter, 1882) (CNPGG-2273); F. Mycale (Arenochalina) laxissima (Duchassaing & Michelotti, 1864) (CNPGG-2267); H. Polymastia tenax Pulitzer-Finali, 1986 (CNPGG-22587); I. Scopalina ruetzleri (Wiedenmayer, 1977) (CNPGG-2183); J. Svenzea cristinae Alvarez, van Soest & Rützler, 2002 (CNPGG- 2474); K. Svenzea flava (Lehnert & van Soest, 1999) (CNPGG-2288); L. Svenzea tubulosa (Alcolado & Gotera, 1986) (CN- PGG-2272), surface detail zoomed in (arrow indicates white channels in the choanosomal region). Scale bars, A–L = 1 cm.