Mycale (Zygomycale) angulosa (Duchassaing & Michelotti, 1864)

Mycale (Aegogropila) angulosa, van Soest, 1984: 16; Muricy & Silva, 1999: 161; Custódio et al., 2002: 204.

Mycale angulosa, Lehnert & van Soest, 1998: 89; Muricy & Moraes, 1998: 215; Hajdu et al., 1999: 23; Muricy & Hajdu, 2006: 59; Muricy et al., 2008: 72; Hajdu et al, 2011: 161. Zygomycale angulosa, Pulitzer-Finali, 1986: 130 .

Mycale (Zygomycale) angulosa, Lôbo-Hajdu et al., 1999: 319; Lerner et al., 2005a: 89; Van Soest, 2017: 162.

Examined Material. UFBA 4125 Port Captaincy (12°58’27.6”S 38°30’56.6”W, Todos-os-Santos Bay, Salvador City, Bahia State, Brazil), col. Hajdu, E., 20.X.1987, 1–2 m depth ; UFBA 2637 Todos-os-Santos Bay (12°48’49.0”S 38°29’24.3”W, Salvador City, Bahia State, Brazil), col. uninformed, IV.2005, 10 m depth ; UFBA 2621 Todos-os-Santos Bay (12°48’49.0”S 38°29’24.3”W, Salvador City, Bahia State, Brazil), col. uninformed, 23.IX.2004, 8 m depth ; UFBA 800 Amaralina Beach (13°00’52.1”S 38°28’10.9”W, Salvador City, Bahia State, Brazil), col. Peixinho, S., 26.X.1987 , intertidal; UFBA 802 Port Captaincy (12°58’27.6”S 38°30’56.6”W, Todos-os-Santos Bay, Salvador City, Bahia State, Brasil), col. Hajdu, E., 22.X.1987, <10 m depth ; UFBA 2362 Mataripe (12°43’12.5”S 38°35’24.0”W, São Francisco do Conde City, Bahia State, Brazil), col. Kelmo, F., 12. VI.1995, intertidal; UFBA 2458 Barra Grande (13°53’24.0”S 38°57’06.4”W, Maraú City, Bahia State, Brazil), col. Andrade, W., VIII.2004, 16 m depth ; UFBA 3977 Camaçari City (12°45’49.8”S 38°06’34.1”W, Bahia, Brazil), col. Andrade, W., 03/1994, depth not recorded; UFBA 1128 Ponta do Suape (12°44’00.0”S 38°37’00.0”W, Todos-os-Santos Bay, Madre de Deus City, Bahia, Brazil), Col. Peixinho, S., 02. VI.1992, intertidal.

External Morphology (dimensions of UFBA 1128) Flabelliform arborescent sponge, 13 x 4 cm (height x width), with irregular branches that can be isolated along their entire length, or merge to such an extent that some branches become flabelliform (Fig. 2A). The consistency is soft, spongy, compressible and elastic. The surface is conulose. Coloration in life is unknown, fixed is light brown.

Skeleton. Plumoreticulated coanosomal skeleton, forming mycalostyle tracts that run towards the surface, with thinner tracts interconnecting the thicker tracts. Surface with strongly developed tangential skeleton, “Aegogropila type ”, with strongly intercrossed tracts, involving triangular meshes (Fig. 2B–D).

Spicules. Megascleres. Mycalostyles in two categories: straight, slightly curved to slightly sinuous, discrete tylus varying from elongated, lobed or styloid (Fig. 3C), with hastate or acerate tip (I: 230–294–350/3.7–8.1–12.5 μm) (Fig. 3A), (II: 190–225.8–290/1.2–2.1–2.5 μm) (Fig. 3B).

Microscleres. Palmate anisochelae in two size categories: I, with a palmate head that is approximately 54% of the total length of the spicule (Fig. 3I). This category forms rosettes on the ectosoma (45–50.2–58 μm; alae: 21.9– 26.9–32 μm) (Fig. 3D); II, with the head palmate approximately 62% of the total length of the spicule (15–19.8–25 μm; alae: 10–12.8–17.5 μm) (Fig. 3J). Palmate isochelae (10–11–12.5 μm) (Fig. 3H). The sigmas are C or S-shaped in two size classes: I, robust (80–91.5–100 μm) (Fig. 3F); II, smaller and thinner (12.5–17.6–27.5 μm) (Fig. 3G); Toxa with a central curvature, which can be accentuated or discreet (75–82.7–93 μm) (Fig. 3E). Microxea smooth and straight (20–28.6–38 μm) (Fig. 3L).

Distribution. Belize (Rützler et al., 2000), Martinica (Pérez et al., 2017), Panamá (Díaz, 2005), Colombia (Bowerbank, 1876), Suriname (Van Soest, 2017). Brazil: Rio Grande do Norte (Muricy et al., 2008); Pernambuco (Muricy & Moraes, 1998), Bahia (Hajdu et al., 2011), São Paulo (De Laubenfels, 1956; Hajdu et al., 1999; Custódio et al., 2002; Muricy & Hajdu, 2006), Rio de Janeiro (Muricy & Silva, 1999; Vilanova et al., 2004; Muricy & Hajdu, 2006), Paraná (Lerner et al., 2005).

Remarks. Mycale (Z.) angulosa shows great morphological variation (Muricy & Hajdu, 2006; Muricy et al., 2008; Hajdu et al., 2011). This was also observed in the material analyzed, where we found specimens with encrusting (UFBA 2621), massive (UFBA 802 and UFBA 3977) and branched arborescent (UFBA 1128, UFBA 2458, UFBA 2362) growth forms. The specimens studied differ from the previous characterizations of M. (Z.) angulosa by the presence of microxea. However, this character has already been observed in M. (Z.) angulosa by Custódio et al. (2002): 24.8–38 μm and Lerner et al. (2005): 20–28.1–43 μm with the same size variation in the material studied 20–28.6–38 μm.