Ciocalypta tyleri Bowerbank, 1873

Fig. 25

Ciocalypta tyleri Bowerbank, 1873: 21, pl. 4.

Material examined

PONTA DO OURO • 1 dried sponge portion, with fistules, about 3× 3× 2 cm; 26°49′29.579″ S, 32°53′51.035″ E; Blacks; 18 m deep; 13 Nov. 2015; Cerrano leg.; PdO16 .

Description

The sponge is massive, partially burrowing, with light yellow fistules (Fig. 25A) rising above the sediment. The dried sample is whitish, the body is rich in sediment, while the fistules are erect and fragile, with a rough surface.

SKELETON. In the body, it is formed by a confused reticulation, with loose tracts of oxeas (Fig. 25B). The fistules have a central axis of loose-packed oxeas from where tracts of spicules radiate towards the surface.

SPICULES. One size, 295–(351, 32.6)– 400 µm ×5.1–(7.8, 1.3)– 9.5 µm, of curved oxeas, sometimes bent in the middle (Fig. 25C).

Remarks

The presence of numerous finger-shaped and transparent fistulae with a central axis and the general structure of the skeleton characterize the genus Ciocalypta Bowerbank, 1862 . To date, there are 26 species of Ciocalypta described (Van Soest et al. 2019). The examined sample fits the original description of Ciocalypta tyleri Bowerbank, 1873 from Port Elizabeth, South Africa, in the general structure and the spicule sizes.