Acanthella cubensis (Alcolado 1984)

Acanthella cubensis (Alcolado, 1984)

Bubaris cubensis Alcolado, 1984:10 [holotype, USNM 39227].

MATERIAL EXAMINED.—Nontypes: North Carolina: USNM 33340 (33°48′12″N, 76°34′24″W, 116 m, coll. DU for MMS); ZMA specimens from the same area. Gulf of Mexico: USNM 34332 (9), USNM 34340 (27), USNM 42139 (11), USNM 42142 (13), USNM 42148 (25), USNM 42164 (28), USNM 42171 (30). Colombia: ZMA Por 10370 (Santa Marta area, Bahia Granate, 15 m, coll. R.W.M. van Soest, 14 Nov 1986). Venezuela: FCLR 217 and 218 (Los Roques, 46 m, coll. M.C. Diaz and B. Alvarez). Tobago: USNM 42806 (TOB–066, Charlotteville Bay, 29 m, coll. B. Alvarez).

SHAPE (Figure 22a,b).—Massive, with or without lobes. Oscules, when visible, 4–7 mm.

SURFACE.—Conulose, reticulate or corrugated, with parchment-like membrane stretched on ridges or conule tips. Subdermal canals, up to 2 cm wide.

CONSISTENCY.—Soft and fragile.

COLOR.—Orange red when alive. Beige, yellow in alcohol.

SKELETON (Figure 22c,d).—Plumose spicule tracts, 100–300 μm thick, connected by sheets of spongin with spicules, and/or by thick spicule tracts forming a vague reticulation of rounded meshes. Skeleton quite halichondroid near surface.

SPICULES (Figure 22e, Table 18).—Sinuous strongyles and styles, some bent at apex. Several specimens with foreign sigmas (70–100 μm long).

Specimen Styles Strongyles

North Carolina

USNM 33340

length 520–1200 (816.2±184.6) 330–1175 (642.0±276.4)

width 10–15(11.7±2.0) 7.5–17.5(11.9±2.8)

Gulf of Mexico

USNM 42164

length 420–990 (656.0±156.7) 300–930(575.2±193.3)

width 5–10(8.0±1.6) 7.5–17.5(12.3±3.1)

USNM 42171

length 900–1300(1031.0±102.8) 460–1400 (715.2±250.8)

width 12.5–25(18.8±2.6) 17.5–32.5 (25.5±4.0)

Los Roques (Venezuela)

FCLR 217

length 630–1050(830.6±110.9) 260–670 (436.8±113.9)

width 5–15(9.7±2.0) 7.5–25(11.5±3.6)

Tobago

USNM 42806

length 440–890(699.2±116.0) 350–900 (568.0±153.4)

width 5–10(8.0±1.9) 5–17.5(12.1±3.0)

DISTRIBUTION AND HABITAT.—Gulf of Mexico; Cuba; Tobago; Los Roques, Venezuela; Santa Marta, Colombia. Coral reefs and hard bottoms at depths of 15–137 m.

MATERIAL EXAMINED.—Nontypes: Barbados: ZMA Por 5366 (200 m), USNM 39462 (off Paynes Bay, 168 m, coll. N. Stentoft, 1978–1980).

SHAPE (Figure 23a).—Cone-shaped with long flagellar apex.

SURFACE.—Hispid.

COLOR.—Unknown when alive; grey white in dry condition.

SKELETON (Figure 23b,c).—Axis of sinuous megascleres echinated by styles.

SPICULES (Figure 23d).—Strongyles, occasionally oxea, wavy to sinuous, 175–1400 (561 ± 242.2) μm long and 5–15 (10.4 ± 2.7) μm wide; styles, 510–1950 (828.6 ± 368.2) μm long and 12.5–52.5 (34.8 ± 10.5) μm wide; a smaller category of styles, 200–480 (368.4 ± 96.1) μm long and 12.5–32.5 (21.4 ± 5.7) μm wide. (Van Soest and Stentoft (1988) reported acanthose endings in some of the styles, but these spicules were not proper to the sponge.)

DISTRIBUTION AND HABITAT.—Known only from Barbados.