Mycale (Aegogropila) mannarensis Thomas, 1968

Van, Rob W. M., Aryasari, Ratih & De, Nicole J., 2021, Mycale species of the tropical Indo-West Pacific (Porifera, Demospongiae, Poecilosclerida), Zootaxa 4912 (1), pp. 1-212 : 30-31

Mycale (Aegogropila) mannarensis Thomas, 1968

Mycale mannarensis Thomas, 1968: 255 , figs 1–2; Pattanayak 2009: 25..

Mycale (Aegogropila) mannarensis ; Carballo & Hajdu 2001: 209.

Summary description (from Thomas, 1968). Sponge black in life (color disappears in alcohol), thinly encrusting, smooth and slimy, growing among Halimeda algae. Choanosomal skeleton ill-defined, tracts arranged at a slanting angle to the surface. Ectosomal skeleton a well-developed aegogropila-type tangential skeleton forming triangular meshes. Tracts of mycalostyles are combined with tangential bundles of long raphides. Rosettes of anisochelae are present. Spicules mycalostyles with visible axial canals, 294–315 x 4–8 µm, anisochelae of ‘ordinary’ type stated to be in a single variable size 21–42 µm, but in the figure two distinct types are shown, the smaller of which is narrow-shaped, sigmas in a single size, 63–84 µm, thickness up to 4 µm, and raphides in bundles, slender and straight, 376–528 µm.

Distribution. Gulf of Mannar (Hare Island, Muyal Theevu, 9.20°N 79.08°E), India, depth 1 m.

Comment. The long raphides are likely homologous to raphidotoxas, and this brings this species in close proximity to the seven raphidotoxa-bearing species reported for the region. The black color is unique among those, and in combination with very long raphides/raphidotoxas this probably indicates the species to be valid.