Suberea

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 : 100

publication ID	https://doi.org/ 10.11646/zootaxa.3805.1.1
publication LSID	lsid:zoobank.org:pub:F0B7652D-6E64-44CE-9181-5A10C8D594C7
DOI	https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.6130462
persistent identifier	https://treatment.plazi.org/id/C23A87C6-FFD0-FFBB-FF11-FB131E98F80B
treatment provided by	Plazi
scientific name	Suberea
status

Treatment

Suberea ? flavolivescens ( Hofman & Kielman, 1992)

Synonymy and references. Axinyssa flavolivescens Hofman & Kielman, 1992: 210 , fig. 5, pl. 1: A–D.

Material. USNM 1229151, 1229152, Carrie Bow Cay back reef near crest, under- and inside Acropora palmata coral rubble, 0.3 m; K. Ruetzler col. 23 Apr 1974. USNM 1229153, Carrie Bow Cay reef crest, underside of Acropora palmata coral rubble, 0.5 m; K. Ruetzler col. 26 Apr 1974. USNM 1229154, Carrie Bow Cay forereef, low spur and groove zone, lower side of Agaricia coral rubble, 8-10 m; K. Ruetzler col. 11 May 1975. USNM 1229155, Carrie Bow Cay forereef, high spur and groove zone, small cave, 4 m; K. Ruetzler col. 11 May 1979. USNM 1229156, Curlew Bank, forereef slope cave, 21 m; C. Piantoni and M. Parrish col. 21 Aug 2012. USNM 1229157, Curlew Bank, forereef slope cave, 18 m; C. Piantoni and M. Parrish col. 23 Aug 2012.

Field examination only (86-01-G), no specimen preserved: Carrie Bow Cay reef flat, under Porites porites and Acropora cervicornis rubble, 0.5 m; K. Ruetzler col. 29 Jan 1986.

External morphology. Small crusts and cushions protruding from the substratum, some with circular oscula (3-5 mm diameter). These cushions also penetrate the coral rock below and fill cavities of several cubic centimeter volume, some of which the sponge seems to excavate. Consistency is soft, the color deep yellow, which turns to purplish black when exposed to air.

Skeleton. We observed fragments of verongid fibers and a great variety of spicules and other sediment particles throughout the tissue. All spicules seem to be foreign, as were those described and figured by Hofman & Kielman (1992).

Ecology. Common inside reef coral and rubble, also in caves, 0.3–21 m; may occur to 100 m and more (P. Alcolado, pers. comm.)

Distribution. Caribbean.

Comments. The generic relocation of this species is tentative, pending further study of its fiber structure and histology (in progress by S. Zea, pers. comm.)