Cliona flavifodina Rützler, 1974

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 : 27-28

Cliona flavifodina Rützler, 1974

Synonymy and references. Cliona flavifodina Rützler, 1974: 9 , figs. 5–7; Hofman & Kielman (1992): 212, fig. 10, pl. 2C.

Material. USNM 1228926, Carrie Bow Cay reef flat, under coral rubble, 0.5 m; K. Ruetzler col. 29 Jan 1986. USNM 1228927, Carrie Bow Cay, South reef, lower surface of rock slab, 1 m; K. Ruetzler col. 13 Mar 0 9.

External morphology. Circular papillae, 2–3 mm in diameter, some penetrating coralline algal crusts. Large, irregular, ragged in outline, and confluent chambers, 5–29 mm. Chamber walls coated with non-mucous tissue. Color of the live sponge is ochre in the papillae, bright yellow in the chambers.

Skeleton structure. Tylostyles are without orientation throughout the tissue, radiating outward in the papillae. Spirasters occur mainly in the papillae (ectosome).

Spicules. Tylostyles are straight to slightly bent, in the upper third; the head is generally ovoid, stretched out in direction of the shaft; overall dimensions: 260–360 x 7–16 (305 x 12) Μm. Spirasters have a thin shaft, generally bent two or three times and beset with long, slender spines: 23– 47 x 7–16 (36 x 13) Μm.

Ecology. Specimens were collected from the lower surfaces of coral rubble on the shallow reef (<1 m) but also noted in cave habitats on the forereef, to 15 m.

Distribution. Bermuda, Colombia, and Belize.