Clathria (Microciona) haplotoxa (Topsent, 1928)

Bertolino, Marco, Cerrano, Carlo, Bavestrello, Giorgio, Carella, Mirco, Pansini, Maurizio & Calcinai, Barbara, 2013, Diversity of Porifera in the Mediterranean coralligenous accretions, with description of a new species, ZooKeys 336, pp. 1-37 : 9

Clathria (Microciona) haplotoxa (Topsent, 1928) Figs 7 A–F

Leptoclathria haplotoxa Topsent, 1928: 298.

Material examined.

Specimen IG-F-BL3-sp5-fot.; alcohol preserved, Gallinara Island (station 2, Falconara) 44°01'22"N, 8°13'34"E, depth 35 m, collected 17-06-2009. The specimen was entirely used for spicule preparations.

Description.

Encrusting sponge on the surface of a coralligenous block, 2 cm in diameter. Surface hispid. Colour brick red (Fig. 7A).

Skeleton. Not observed.

Spicules. Macroscleres: strongyles straight, smooth, 112.5 (178) 215 × 2.5 μm (Fig. 7B); acanthostyles straight with a characteristic constriction under the head, in two size categories: I) large acanthostyles (Fig. 7C), 150 (175.5) 210 μm and II) small acanthostyles (Fig. 7D), 55 (74.5) 102.5 × 2.5 (3.5) 5 μm. Microscleres: palmate isochelae with straight shaft (Fig. 7E), 12.5 (13.8) 15 μm long; toxas thin, smooth, with wide central curvature and slightly reflexed points, 30 (32.5) 37.5 μm long (Fig. 7F).

Distribution and discussion. Described from Porto Santo Bay (Madeira) the species extends south to the Sahelian Upwelling ( Lévi 1956). In the Mediterranean Sea it was only recorded from Tunisia ( Ben Mustapha et al. 2003). It is a new finding for the Italian sponge fauna and for the coralligenous community.