Smenospongia cerebriformis ( Duchassaing & Michelotti, 1864 )

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 : 94

Smenospongia cerebriformis ( Duchassaing & Michelotti, 1864)

Synonymy and references. Fasciospongia cerebriformis ( Duchassaing & Michelotti, 1864) : van Soest (1978): 43, fig. 14, pl. 8: 3,

Material. USNM 1229145, Curlew Bank forereef cave, 20 m. C. Piantoni col. 28 Jun 2007.

External morphology. A massive, egg-shaped specimen, 40 x 45 mm tall and wide, 60 mm long, with one osculum on top, 9 mm in diameter. Surface conulose (about 3 mm tall conules), consistency stiff elastic, colot in life dark grayish brown.

Skeleton. Fasciculated main fibers are 80–190 µm in diameter; they are connected by perpendicular secondary fibers of 20–60 µm. On our microscope section (made at the periphery of the specimen), fiber meshes measure about 100–800 µm in diameter. All fibers are clear, without core or foreign inclusions, and striated, particularly the primary ones.

Ecology. Found in reef habitats, including forereef caves, 18– 30 m.

Distribution. Florida, Golf of Mexico, and Caribbean Sea.