Clathria (Microciona) cf. echinata ( Alcolado, 1984 )

Rützler, Klaus, Piantoni, Carla, Van, Rob W. M. & Díaz, Cristina, 2014, Diversity of sponges (Porifera) from cryptic habitats on the Belize barrier reef near Carrie Bow Cay, Zootaxa 3805 (1), pp. 1-129 : 61

Clathria (Microciona) cf. echinata ( Alcolado, 1984)

Synonymy and References. Axociella echinata Alcolado, 1984: 7 , figs 3B, 4B; Clathria (Microciona) simpsoni van Soest, 1984: 97, fig. 38, pl. 7:2–4.

Material. USNM 1229010, Carrie Bow Cay, South reef, surf-exposed zone behind reef crest, underside of dead Acropora coral plates, 0.5 m; K. Ruetzler col. 6 Mar 2006.

Field identification (06-KC4f, not preserved): Carrie Bow back reef and reef flat, inside dead conch shells, 1 m; K. Ruetzler & C. Piantoni col. 23 Feb 2006.

External morphology. Thin crusts, covering up to 25 cm 2 area. Very small (<1 mm) oscula, barely noticeable. Live color bright red.

Skeleton structure. Ascending, branching fiber tracts, cored and echinated by styles. Subtylostyles and microscleres free in the tissue, particularly in the ectosome.

Spicules. Robust styles of large size range, most thickest at the (top) round end, some fusiform, thickest in the upper third of the length: 150–550 x 7–15 (341 x 9) Μm; subtylostyles, with microspined tops: 210–450 x 2–10 (263 x 4) Μm; toxas (some oxeote): 190–280 x 5–8 (243 x 6) Μm; raphide-like toxas: 60– 90 x 1 (75 x 1) Μm; cleistocheles (tips of palmate chela hooks almost touch): 9–13 (11) Μm.

Ecology. Only found in shaded locations on shallow reef substrates, 0.5– 1 m.

Distribution. Bermuda, Bahamas, Gulf of Mexico and throughout the Caribbean.

Comments. Our specimens differ from the descriptions by Alcolado (1984) and van Soest (1984a) by lacking the large toxiform oxeas and regular (non-cleistochele) chelas. More material will be needed to clarify this inconsistency.