Terpios fugax Duchassaing & Michelotti, 1864

Rützler, Klaus, Piantoni, Carla, Van, Rob W. M. & Díaz, Cristina, 2014, Diversity of sponges (Porifera) from cryptic habitats on the Belize barrier reef near Carrie Bow Cay, Zootaxa 3805 (1), pp. 1-129 : 44-45

Terpios fugax Duchassaing & Michelotti, 1864

Synonymy and References. Terpios fugax Duchassaing & Michelotti, 1864 : Rützler & Smith (1993): 384, figs. 1, 9.

Material. USNM 1228977, 1228978, Carrie Bow Cay forereef, low spur and groove zone, underside of Agaricia coral rubble, 8–9 m; K. Ruetzler col. 7 May 1973. USNM 43146, Carrie Bow Cay reef flat, lower sides of coral rubble, 0.5 m; K. Ruetzler col. 32 Jan 1986.

External morphology. Small (1–4 cm 2) and thin (1 mm) crusts, with smooth, microporous surface, soft, of ultramarine blue or bluegreen color due to symbiotic, blue-pigmented bacteria

Skeleton structure. Spicule bundles running in simple, rarely branched tracts from the base to the surface, loose spicules throughout.

Spicules. Straight tylostyles, in one size class, with depressed (flattened), lobed tyles: 170–360 x 4–8 (310 x 7) Μm (the shaft averages 5 µm in width).

Ecology. Undersides of shallow reef rubble, 0.5– 9 m.

Distribution. Bermuda, throughout the tropical western Atlantic.