Haliclona (Flagellia), 2017

Van Soest, Rob W. M., 2017, Flagellia, a new subgenus of Haliclona (Porifera, Haplosclerida), European Journal of Taxonomy 351, pp. 1-48 : 35-37

Haliclona (Flagellia) sp.

Fig. 17

? Sigmadocia flagelifer [sic] Kaminskaya, 1971: 116.

? Haliclona sp. 2 Alcolado, 2002: 67.

Material examined

COLOMBIA: Santa Marta, Punta de Betín, 11.2503° N, 74.2207° W, 20 m deep, SCUBA, coll. M. Kielman, field number SM 132, 1991 ( ZMA Por. 21962).

Description

Small fragment, approximately 2 × 2 × 1 mm in size. Color in alcohol dark brown. Consistency soft.

SKELETON. Confused, a largely unispicular reticulation of oxeas. Few microscleres.

OXEAS ( Fig. 17 A–A1). Straight, relatively thin, sharply pointed, 232– 289 –315 × 8– 10. 2 –13 μm.

FLAGELLOSIGMAS ( Fig. 17 B–C). Only six were found; these are circular to ovoid in outline, with long endings with short straight apices, with short endings widely curved. Length of long endings ( Fig. 17B 1 ) 70– 82 –95 μm, of short endings ( Fig. 17B 2 ) 50– 58 –63 μm, width 55– 61 –75 μm, thickness 2– 2. 4 –3 μm.

NORMAL SIGMAS ( Fig. 17D ). Robust, symmetrical, strongly incurved apices, 39– 46. 1 –53 × 1.5– 2. 6 – 3.5 μm.

Distribution and ecology

Colombian Caribbean, reef environment at a depth of 20 m (Marine Ecoregion Southern Caribbean). Possibly Cuba (Marine Ecoregion Greater Antilles), 5–9 m depth (see Remarks below).

Remarks

Although the shapes of the flagellosigmas and the sigmas clearly differ from those of the above described H. (F.) hajdui subgen. et sp. nov., this material is not named here because it is too small to allow proper study. Only a few flagellosigmas were found, leaving open the possibility that larger spicules with upturned apices and a more elliptical outline might have been missed. Future study is necessary to delimit the characters of this species against those of H. (F.) hajdui subgen. et sp. nov.

Alcolado (2002) cited Haliclona sp. 2 based on a description of Kaminskaya (1971) of a specimen named Sigmadocia flagellifera from Northwestern Cuba, soft bottom at 5–9 m depth. Oxeas were 115– 220 × 3–5 μm, well below the above measurements, sigmas were cited as 16–64 μm, not differentiated

2

into flagellosigmas and normal sigmas. These data are insufficient to determine if this record were conspecific with the Colombian specimen.

Figures

Fig. 17. Haliclona (Flagellia) sp., from Santa Marta, Colombia, SEM images of the spicules (ZMA Por. 21962). A. Oxea. A 1. Detail of one of the apices. B–C. Flagellosigmas. B 1. Detail of long ending of flagellosigma. B . Detail of short ending of flagellosigma. D. Sigmas.

Fig. 1. Flagellosigma, the characteristic feature of Haliclona (Flagellia) subgen. nov., showing meristic and descriptive features used in this study.

Fig. 2. ‘Flagellated’ sigma of Mycale (Naviculina) diversisigmata Van Soest, 1984, a sigma type superficially similar to a flagellosigma, but the morphology is considered non-homologous due to the lack of a strong asymmetry in the longer and shorter endings.