Hymeniacidon caerulea Pulitzer-Finali, 1986

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 : 65-66

Hymeniacidon caerulea Pulitzer-Finali, 1986

Tables 6, 7; Figs. 60A–C , 70C

Synonymy and references: Laxosuberites coerulea de Laubenfels (1936: 148) ; Hymeniacidon caerulea Pulitzler- Finali (1986: 117), Rützler et al. (2000: 237), Rützler et al. (2009: 75), Rützler et al. (2014: 75), and Ugalde et al. (2015: 165).

Type locality. Puerto Rico .

Material examined. CNPGG-2289, Banco Obispo Norte reef (20.50655°N, 92.19616°W), 24 m depth, coll. Oscar Bocardo, 13 September 2017 ; CNPGG-2425, Isla Verde reef (19.19844°N, 96.06863°W), 9.6 m depth, coll. Diana Ugalde, 9.6 August 2018 ; CNPGG-2428, Banco Cabezo reef (19.09752°N, 95.85616°W), 9.5 m depth, coll. Oscar Bocardo, 29 August 2018 ; CNPGG-2447, Isla Verde reef (19.20588°N, 96.07305°W), 7.2 m depth, coll. Diana Ugalde, 31 August 2018 .

Distribution. Mexico ( Ugalde et al. 2015; De la Cruz-Francisco & Bandala-Pérez 2016; current records), US (Florida), Greater Antilles ( Pulitzer-Finali, 1986).

Remarks. The current specimens studied here have the same morphologic features: encrusting habit, cobalt blue color when alive, and long, thin styles in confused spicule tracts. Hymeniacidon caerulea has been found in the northern GoM by de Laubenfels (1936 as Laxosuberites coerulea ), also recorded from Alacranes reef in the SGoM by Ugalde et al. (2015).

Genus Topsentia Berg, 1899

Figures

FIGURE 60. Hymeniacidon caerulea Pulitzer-Finali, 1986 (CNPGG-2425), skeleton and spicules: A. transversal section of the skeleton; B. detail of the ectosomal region; C. styles. Scale bars: A–C = 300 µm.

FIGURE 70. In situ photographs of species analyzed in the present study: A. Svenzea tubulosa (Alcolado & Gotera, 1986), B. Svenzea zeai (Alvarez, van Soest & Rützler, 1998) (CNPGG-2284); C. Hymeniacidon caerulea Pulitzer-Finali, 1986 (CNPGG- 2425); D. Topsentia ophiraphidites (de Laubenfels, 1934) (CNPGG-2185); E. Topsentia ophiraphidites (de Laubenfels, 1934) (CNPGG-2262); F. Topsentia ophiraphidites (de Laubenfels, 1934) (CNPGG-2415); G. Tectitethya crypta de Laubenfels, 1949 (CNPGG-2176); H. Tectitethya macrostella Sarà & Bavestrello, 1996 (CNPGG-2277); I. Tethya diploderma Schmidt, 1870 (CNPGG-2191); J. Timea stenosclera Hechtel, 1969 (CNPGG-2275); K. Timea stenosclera Hechtel, 1969 (CNPGG-2358), surface detail zoomed in (arrow indicates a specimen of Chalinula aff. molitba); L. Stellettinopsis megastylifera (Wintermann- Kilian & Kilian, 1984) (CNPGG-2446); M. Geodia gibberosa Lamarck, 1815 (CNPGG-2291); N. Geodia neptuni (Sollas, 1886) (CNPGG-2439). Scale bars, A–N = 1 cm.