Neofibularia nolitangere ( 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 : 20-21

Neofibularia nolitangere ( Duchassaing & Michelotti, 1864)

Tables 6, 7; Figs. 13A–C , 16M

Synonymy and references: Amphimedon nolitangere Duchassaing & Michelotti (1864: 82) ; Fibularia massa , Fibulia nolitangere , Fibulia massa , Gellius massa , Neofibularia massa and Neofibularia nolitangere nolitangere : see references compiled in Hartman (1967: 7); Neofibularia nolitangere, Hajdu & van Soest (2002: 648) and Pérez et al. (2017: 11).

Type locality. St. Thomas .

Material examined. CNPGG-2206, Cayo Arcas reef (20.20183°N, - 91.97583°W), 6.7 m depth, coll. Diana Ugalde, 20 August 2018 .

Description. Massive habit, growing in laterally fused tubes, sometimes volcano-shaped with an apical depression ( Fig. 16M ); the largest specimen measures up to 22 × 10 cm. Surface hispid, slightly rugose. Oscules are wide and oval-shaped up to 2 cm in diameter. Color in vivo dark red-brown and beige after fixation. The consistency is crumbly and brittle.

Skeleton. Irregular reticulation of fibers cored by several spicules projecting out the fibers; meshes 200 µm in diameter ( Figs. 13A–B ).

Spicules. Megascleres: Strongyles slightly curved 270– 317.6 (27.48)–350/8– 10.8 (1.5)–12 µm ( Fig. 13C ). Microscleres: straight microxeas 110– 116 (4.1)–120/8– 10.8 (1.5)–12 µm ( Fig. 13C 1 ); raphides occurring singly 100– 107 (6.7)–115/2– 2.3 (0.5)–2.4 µm; sigmas 16– 17 (1.95)–20 µm ( Fig. 13C 2 ).

Distribution. Mexico (current records), Bahamas, US (North Carolina, Florida) (de Laubenfels 1936), other countries in the Caribbean Sea ( Zea 1987).

Remarks. Hartman (1967) revised specimens of Neofibularia nolitangere where sigmas had been overlooked by de Laubenfels (1936), and found them. These specimens perfectly matched additional materials from the former author, and Hechtel (1965) before him, described from Jamaica, including the presence of dermatitis-producing toxins. Specimens described here possess all three categories of microscleres, although the similar lengths of raphides and microxea raises the possibility of the former being merely juveniles of the latter. Contrary to Hartman’s (1967) report, we could not see distinctly arranged trichodragmas for either category, much the less both.

Ours is the first record of this species in the SGoM. It was formerly known from the northern part of the GoM, in particular from Florida, as well as from the Caribbean (widely distributed) and the Bahamas.

Order Bubarida Morrow & Cárdenas, 2015

Figures

FIGURE 1. Map of sampling localities explored in this study in the southern Gulf of Mexico. The localities include 16 coral reefs from Veracruz to Campeche Bank and one station in the Chelem lagoon in Yucatan Peninsula.

FIGURE 2. Agelas clathrodes (Schmidt, 1870) (CNPGG-2297), skeleton and spicules:A. transversal section of the skeleton; B. detail of the ectosomal region, upper side; C. verticillated acanthostyles. Scale bars: A = 500 µm; B = 100 µm; C = 50 µm.

FIGURE 13. Neofibularia nolitangere (Duchassaing & Michelotti, 1864) (CNPGG-2206), skeleton and spicules:A. transversal section of the skeleton; B. detail of the choanosomal region; C. strongyles, microxeas (1, black arrow), raphides and sigmas (2, white arrow). Scale bars: A = 200 µm; B = 100 µm; C–F = 50 µm.

FIGURE 16. In situ photographs of species analyzed in the present study: A. Agelas clathrodes (Schmidt, 1870) (CNPGG- 2297); B. Agelas conifera (Schmidt, 1870) (CNPGG-2373); C. Agelas dispar Duchassaing & Michelotti, 1864 (CNPGG-2007); D. Agelas schmidtii Wilson, 1902 (CNPGG-2285);E. Agelas sventres Lehnert & van Soest, 1996 (CNPGG-2285); F. Agelas wiedenmayeri Alcolado, 1984 (CNPGG-2476); G. Prosuberites carriebowensis Rützler, Piantoni, van Soest & Díaz, 2014 (CNPGG-2211); H. Ectyoplasia ferox (Duchassaing & Michelotti, 1864) (CNPGG-2407); I. Ectyoplasia ferox (Duchassaing & Michelotti, 1864) (CNPGG-2240); J. Dragmacidon reticulatum (Ridley & Dendy, 1886) (CNPGG-2283); K. Ptilocaulis walpersii (Duchassaing & Michelotti, 1864) (CNPGG-2171); L. Myrmekioderma rea (de Laubenfels, 1934) (CNPGG-2261); M. Neofibularia nolitangere (Duchassaing & Michelotti, 1864) (CNPGG-2206); N. Desmanthus meandroides van Soest & Hajdu, 2000 (CNPGG-2389); O. Cliona aprica Pang, 1973 (CNPGG-2298). Scale bars, A–O = 1 cm.