Callyspongia (Callyspongia) fallax Duchassaing & Michelotti, 1864

Ugalde, Diana, Fernandez, Julio C. C., Gómez, Patricia, Lôbo-Hajdu, Gisele & Simões, Nuno, 2021, An update on the diversity of marine sponges in the southern Gulf of Mexico coral reefs, Zootaxa 5031 (1), pp. 1-112 : 31-32

publication ID	https://doi.org/ 10.11646/zootaxa.5031.1.1
publication LSID	lsid:zoobank.org:pub:CC3A59D1-E09E-407E-93F4-4796FD3D7C19
persistent identifier	https://treatment.plazi.org/id/110587B3-4D15-480E-FF53-FD79484131B8
treatment provided by	Plazi
scientific name	Callyspongia (Callyspongia) fallax Duchassaing & Michelotti, 1864
status

Treatment

Callyspongia (Callyspongia) fallax Duchassaing & Michelotti, 1864 View in CoL

Tables 6, 7; Figs. 23A–F View FIGURE 23 , 36F View FIGURE 36

Synonymy and references: Callyspongia fallax Duchassaing & Michelotti (1864: 57) , Gómez & Green (1984: 76), Muricy et al. (2011: 97–98) and Pérez et al. (2017: 10); Patuloscula procumbens Carter (1882: 365) and Carter (1885: 286); Siphonochalina procumbens Dendy (1887: 505) and Wilson (1902: 393); Siphonochalina var. infirna Wilson (1902: 393) ; Callyspongya repens Little (1963: 42) , and Alcolado (1980: 3); Ceraochalina venderhosti Arndt (1927: 154) ; Callyspongia fallax var. fallax and Callyspongia (Callyspongia) fallax : see references compiled in Muricy et al. (2011: 97–98).

Type locality. St. Thomas .

Material examined. CNPGG-2239, Triangulo Oeste reef (20.96185°N, - 92.30246°W), 6 m depth, coll. Oscar Bocardo, 08 September 2017 GoogleMaps ; CNPGG-2247, Triangulo Oeste reef (20.95178°N,- 92.30963°W), 23 m depth, coll. Oscar Bocardo, 09 September 2017 GoogleMaps ; CNPGG-1741, Alacranes reef (22.368667°N, 89.680389°W), 8 m depth, coll. Diana Ugalde, 16 February 2012 GoogleMaps ; CNPGG-1225, Alacranes reef (22.378778°N, 89.667444 W), 12 m depth, coll. Diana Ugalde, 19 February 2012 GoogleMaps ; CNPGG-1964, Alacranes reef (22.385567°N, 89.680706°W), 10 m depth, coll. Diana Ugalde, 21 May 2012 GoogleMaps

Description. A cluster of short tubes laterally fused, erect, or repent ( Fig. 36F View FIGURE 36 ). The largest specimen is 20 × 8 cm, diameter of tubes up to 3 cm. Surface smooth and velvety to the touch. Oscules 1.5–2.0 cm in diameter. Color in vivo light purple and beige after fixation. The consistency is elastic and flexible.

Skeleton. Ectosomal reticulation with often unispicular fibers, rounded to polygonal meshes ( Figs. 23 A–B View FIGURE 23 ), 200–500 µm diameter. Choanosomal reticulation with a rectangular mesh 250–375 µm in length ( Fig. 23C View FIGURE 23 ). Ascending primary fibers 30–100 µm in diameter, often cored more than one oxea. The choanosomal skeleton’s secondary fibers with 25–100 µm in diameter, often cored by one oxea ( Fig. 23D View FIGURE 23 ).

Spicules. Megascleres: Oxeas straight to slightly curved, isodiametric, with conical to stepped tips ( Figs. 23 E–F View FIGURE 23 ); 70– 77.9 (5)–87/2.5– 4.2 (0.8)–5 µm.

Distribution. Mexico ( Gómez & Green 1984; current records), US (Florida) ( Little 1963; Storr 1976), Cuba ( Alcolado 1980: as C. repens ), Bahamas ( Wiedenmayer 1977), Colombia ( Zea 1987), other countries in the Caribbean Sea and Brazil ( Muricy et al. 2011).

Remarks. This species was originally described by Duchassaing & Michelotti (1864); however, their description is too brief. Recent descriptions of Callyspongia (Callys.) fallax pointed out differences in its morphology and spicules. Wiedenmayer (1977) proposed and described a lectotype for the species, which is taken as the actual description of the species. His description referred to a coalescent globular morphology, with lobes provided with apical oscules and a reddish to blueish purple coloration in vivo. The spicules recorded by Wiedenmayer are straight to slightly curved hastate oxeas, with mammiform ends, and sometimes strongyles 67– 75 –80 / 1– 1.9 –2.5 µm in dimensions. Further, Zea (1987) recorded C. (Callys.) fallax in Colombia. His specimens showed consistent features in morphology, color, and spicule dimensions (57– 78 –83 x 1.1– 2 –2.6 µm) compared to Wiedenmayer’s description. However, Zea mentioned toxas, such as in Little’s (1963) and Alcolado’s (1980) descriptions. Our specimens showed the same features in morphology, color, and dimensions of oxeas as in Wiedenmayer’s and Zea’s descriptions, but the oxeas were significantly thicker (2.5– 4.2 –5 µm) than those reported by these authors, and we did not find toxas.

Callyspongia (Callys.) fallax has been recorded in different locations through the Caribbean ( Wiedenmayer 1977; Zea 1987) and the northern GoM ( Little 1963). Therefore, this is the first record in the southern GoM. The record of C. fallax for the Veracruz Reef System by Green (1977) corresponds to C. armigera , confirmed by the image provided in his plate ( Fig. 10 View FIGURE 10 ). Callyspongia (Callys.) fallax seems to be a common species in the Campeche Banks coral reefs but not in Veracruz Reefs.

Subgenus Callyspongia (Cladochalina) Schmidt, 1870