Sponges of the Guyana Shelf
Author
Van, Rob W. M.
text
Zootaxa
2017
1
1
225
journal article
37320
10.5281/zenodo.272951
e2c88f4c-3ac2-45f9-95e4-99b75561a081
1175-5326
272951
6D68A019-6F63-4AA4-A8B3-92D351F1F69B
Igernella notabilis
(Duchassaing & Michelotti, 1864)
Figures 9
a–c
Euryades notabilis
Duchassaing & Michelotti, 1864: 106
, pl. 25 fig.3.
Darwinella joyeuxi
Topsent, 1889
: 46
, fig. 11;
De Laubenfels 1948
: 170
, fig. 28.
Igernella joyeuxi
;
Topsent 1905
, clxxxviii, fig. 3;
Boury-Esnault 1973
: 287
.
Igernella notabilis
;
Van Soest 1978
: 76
, Pl. XV fig. 1, text-fig. 1;
Pulitzer-Finali 1986
: 181
, fig. 87;
Uriz & Maldonado 1996
: 154
, fig. 2;
Lehnert & Van Soest 1998
: 97
; Moraes 2011: 204, 4 unnumbered figs; Muricy
et al.
2011: 55;
Rützler
et al.
2014
: 96
.
Material
examined.
RMNH
Por. 9937,
Guyana
, ‘Luymes’
Guyana
Shelf Expedition, station 63,
7.5833°N
57.0667°W
, depth
71 m
, sandy bottom,
31 August 1970
.
Description
. Lobate conulose sponge, with large apical oscules. The sample contains seven fragments (
Fig. 9
a), each about
3 cm
high and
1–1.5 cm
in diameter (
Fig. 9
a1), assumed to be from a single larger specimen. Oscules about
0.5 cm
in diameter, conules
2–4 mm
apart. Consistency soft, easily torn.
Skeleton.
A rectangular spongin reticulation (
Fig. 9
b) of thicker ascending fibers (up to 160 µm in diameter), and thinner connecting fibres, up to 60 µm in diameter. Meshes large, 400–1000 µm in size. Fibers laminated and pithed, lightly cored by sand grains and broken spicules. Horny spicules (
Fig. 9
c) not common, only triactines were observed, actines 310–700
x 16–25
µm.
Distribution and ecology.
Guyana
Shelf,
Virgin Islands
, Mexican Caribbean,
Curaçao
,
St. Eustatius
,
Puerto Rico
,
Jamaica
,
Anguilla
,
Belize
, NE
Brazil
, mostly on reefs, but also known from the fore reef slope and sandy bottom,
4–71 m
depth (previously down to
52 m
).
Remarks.
The specimens from the
Guyana
Shelf are closely similar to the
type
material and other recently described specimens (cf.
Van Soest 1978
;
Uriz & Maldonado 1996
). Differences with these specimens are that the present fibers are comparatively thin and there are only few horny spicules. The
Cape
Verdian species
Igernella vansoesti
Uriz & Maldonado, 1996
is reported to occur in the Gulf of
Mexico
(
Uriz & Maldonado 1996
) (p. 159), but this needs further verification. The shape of
Igernella vansoesti
is clearly different from the present fragments.