Timea stenosclera Hechtel, 1969

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 : 72-74

Timea stenosclera Hechtel, 1969

Tables 6, 7; Figs. 66A–C , 70J–K

Synonymy and references: Timea stenosclera Hechtel (1969: 28) , Rützler et al. (2014: 49), van Soest (2017: 181), and Mácola & Menegola (2018: 294).

Type locality. Barbados .

Material examined. CNPGG-2275, Triangulos reef (20.9177°N, 92.2162°W), 12 m depth, Oscar Bocardo, 11 September 2017; CNPGG-2358, Banco Obispo Sur reef, (20.4234°N, 92.2274°W), 9 m depth, coll. Oscar Bocardo, 14 September 2017.

Description: Thinly encrusting habit on coral rubble ( Fig. 70J–K ); the size of the larger specimen 8 × 2.5 × 0.4 cm. The surface is microhispid. The oscules are not visible. Orange color in vivo, light brown in ethanol. The consistency is soft but difficult to discern.

Skeleton. Choanosome with confused tylostyles and protruding outside the surface.

Spicules. Megascleres. Straight and slender tylostyles ( Figs. 66A–C ), 145– 250 (51.7)–335/1– 2.5 (1.1)–5.2 µm, tyle oval to rounded, 18– 22 (2.5)–26 µm. Microscleres:Asters represented by spheroxyasters, sometimes with blunt rays (tending to strongylaster type), 18–22 (2.5)–26 µm diameter; oxyasters thin rayed euasters 7– 10.9 (2.5)–14.5 µm diameter, ( Fig. 66B ).

Distribution. Mexico (current records), Belize ( Rützler et al. 2014), Barbados ( Hechtel 1969), Brazil ( Mácola & Menegola 2018).

Remarks. The material studied conforms to Timea stenosclera except for having slightly larger spicule dimensions than those reported by Hechtel (1969) from his Barbados materials (tylostyles 173–252/1.7–2.4 µm, oxy- spherasters 11.8–25.9 µm, oxy- to strongylasters 4.7–11.8 µm). However, specimens from Belize also have larger spicules (tylostyles 176–310 × 2–7 µm, spheroxyasters 19–25 µm, spheroxyasters 15–18 µm) as shown by Rützler et al. (2014). These variations in dimensions appear intraspecific to us. The smaller category of euasters in Hechtel (1969) fits well with ours. This is the first record of T. stenosclera for the GoM.

Order Tetractinellida Marshall, 1876

Suborder Astrophorina Sollas, 1887

Figures

FIGURE 66. Timea stenosclera Hechtel, 1969 (CNPGG-2275), spicules: A. tylostyles (1―large and 2―small); B. tylostyle, large category; C. tylostyle, small category and microscleres (1―spheroxyasters and 2―oxyasters). Scale bars:A–B = 250 µm; C = 100 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.