Mycale (Mycale) meridionalis Lévi, 1963

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 : 142-143

Mycale (Mycale) meridionalis Lévi, 1963

Mycale meridionalis Lévi, 1963: 9 , fig. 2, pl. I fig. E (not: Samaai & Gibbons 2005: 76).

Summary description. Encrusting on ‘filiform red Anthozoan’. Ochre colored (alcohol), surface irregular, soft consistency. Ectosomal skeleton made up loose megascleres fanning out tangentially from subectosomal spicule tracts (this is here interpreted as indicating membership of subgenus Mycale ). No mention is made of rosettes of anisochelae. Choanosomal skeleton vertical spicule tracts. Spicules: mycalostyles straight, with barely developed heads, 210–325 x 8–12 µm, anisochelae I 42–50 µm, anisochelae II 18–30 µm, anisochelae III 12 µm, sigmas 58–65 µm, trichodragmas 16–35 µm.

Distribution. Port Elizabeth region, South Africa, shallow water.

Comments. The species was assigned to subgenus Mycale (Aegogropila) by Samaai & Gibbon 2005, but we believe this was based on a misunderstanding of the French description of the surface skeleton. The subsequent assignment of Samaai & Gibbons’ specimen to Lévi’s species appears not correct in our view (the table of comparison of the spicule dimensions of the two show strong differences). We maintain this species is Mycale (Mycale) and not conspecific with Samaai & Gibbons’ specimen.

The species stands out among Mycale (Mycale) species of the region by the small dimensions of the mycalostyles and the apparent lack of small sigmas. Nevertheless, the most similar species is Mycale (Mycale) crasssissima , and in view of the large size variation of the mycalostyles of that species (288–663 x 5–18 µm, cf. above), it cannot be excluded that M. (M.) meridionalis is a member of that variable species. If we should interpret the condition of the ectosomal skeleton as conforming to subgenus Carmia , then there is similarity with Mycale (Carmia) amiri sp.nov., but that species lacks trichodragmas and its anisochelae I are clearly smaller (26–33 µm).