Sarcotragus fasciculatus (Schmidt, 1862) comb. n.

Manconi, Renata, Cadeddu, Barbara, Ledda, Fabio & Pronzato, Roberto, 2013, An overview of the Mediterranean cave-dwelling horny sponges (Porifera, Demospongiae), ZooKeys 281, pp. 1-68 : 24-27

Sarcotragus fasciculatus (Schmidt, 1862) comb. n. Fig. 20

Hircinia fasciculata Schmidt, 1862: 34

Description.

Growth form massive, irregular (up to 12 × 15 cm in diameter). Surface regularly conulose (1 mm in height, 1-2 mm apart). Skeleton network light brown, fragile, reticulate with more or less square meshes from the sponge base to the surface. Almost parallel ascending primary fibres (200-300 µm in diameter) free from foreign inclusions, with apices supporting conules. Each primary fibre as a bundle of some (2- 5) uncored secondary fibres (50-100 µm in diameter) joined by conspicuous spongin tracts and cribrose plates. Filaments less than 3 µm thick, abundant, and whitish.

Habitat.

Cave, rocky bottom, Posidonia oceanica meadow, coralligenous community. Bathymetric range 1-100 m.

Mediterranean Caves.

Blue, La Catedral, J1, Meda Petita, Petita de la Vaca, Misidacis caves (Balearic Sea); Bagaud, Endoume, Figuier, Trèmies caves (Gulf of Lions); Zoagli-Chiavari Cave (Ligurian Sea); Misteri, Gaiola, Tuffo Tuffo caves (Central Tyrrhenian Sea); Molare caves (Southern Tyrrhenian Sea); Monastir, Salakta caves (Sicily Channel); Leuca caves (Ionian Sea); Stražica Cave (Northern Adriatic Sea); Arenile, Pagliai, Viole, Coccodrillo, Cala Tonda, Bue Marino, Rondinelle, Pecore, Regina caves (Southern Adriatic Sea) ( Sarà 1958, 1959, 1961a, b, 1962, 1964a, 1968; Labate 1965; Melone 1965; Rützler 1966; Pouliquen 1972; Bibiloni et al. 1984a, 1989; Corriero et al. 2000; Novosel et al. 2002; Ben Mustapha et al. 2003; Harmelin et al. 2003; Martì et al. 2004; Pronzato and Manconi 2011).

Remarks.

The present description is based on the holotype LMJG 15499 (Museum Joanneum of Graz, Austria), O. Schmidt collection, from Lesina (Adriatic Sea), and other specimens belonging to the Schmidt’s collection preserved in the same museum. The study in depth of this dry holotype material resulted in the evidence that it does not belong to the genus Ircinia but perfectly matches the genus Sarcotragus . The holotype is, probably, a fragment of a bigger specimen and does not exceed 15 cm in diameter; no traces of dermal membrane or choanosomal architecture are visible, suggesting that it can be a beached specimen. The type material of Pallas Spongia fasciculata is missing and the single specimen of Ircinia fasciculata belonging to the Schmidt’s collection (NHMG 15499) must be ascribed to the genus Sarcotragus . Pronzato et al. (2004) investigated the species formerly named Ircinia fasciculata (Pallas, 1766); the result was that Ircinia variabilis (Schmidt, 1862) became the type species of the genus Ircinia Nardo, 1833 and the specimen LMJG 15499, of Ircinia fasciculata , was moved under the genus Sarcotragus Schmidt, 1862 affirming that: "a further study will decide if this species is a good one or a synonym". Pronzato et al. (2004) focused the problematic status of the taxon but did not describe the species. Here a new combination for Sarcotragus fasciculatus is proposed. Sarcotragus fasciculatus is clearly different from the other species ascribed in the genus, also when compared with extra-Mediterranean species ( Pronzato et al. 2004) because all its fibres are free of inclusions and primary ones are formed by "fascicules of secondaries".