Haliclona ( Flagellia ), 2017

Haliclona ( Flagellia) View in CoL sp.

Fig. 17 View Fig

? Sigmadocia flagelifer [sic] Kaminskaya, 1971: 116.

? Haliclona View in CoL sp. 2 Alcolado, 2002: 67.

Material examined

COLOMBIA: Santa Marta, Punta de Betín, 11.2503° N, 74.2207° W, 20 m deep, SCUBA, coll. M. Kielman, field number SM 132, 1991 ( ZMA Por. 21962).

Description

Small fragment, approximately 2 × 2 × 1 mm in size. Color in alcohol dark brown. Consistency soft.

SKELETON. Confused, a largely unispicular reticulation of oxeas. Few microscleres.

OXEAS ( Fig. 17 View Fig A–A1). Straight, relatively thin, sharply pointed, 232– 289 –315 × 8– 10. 2 –13 μm.

FLAGELLOSIGMAS ( Fig. 17 View Fig B–C). Only six were found; these are circular to ovoid in outline, with long endings with short straight apices, with short endings widely curved. Length of long endings ( Fig. 17B View Fig 1 View Fig ) 70– 82 –95 μm, of short endings ( Fig. 17B View Fig 2 View Fig ) 50– 58 –63 μm, width 55– 61 –75 μm, thickness 2– 2. 4 –3 μm.

NORMAL SIGMAS ( Fig. 17D View Fig ). Robust, symmetrical, strongly incurved apices, 39– 46. 1 –53 × 1.5– 2. 6 – 3.5 μm.

Distribution and ecology

Colombian Caribbean, reef environment at a depth of 20 m (Marine Ecoregion Southern Caribbean). Possibly Cuba (Marine Ecoregion Greater Antilles), 5–9 m depth (see Remarks below).

Remarks

Although the shapes of the flagellosigmas and the sigmas clearly differ from those of the above described H. ( F.) hajdui subgen. et sp. nov., this material is not named here because it is too small to allow proper study. Only a few flagellosigmas were found, leaving open the possibility that larger spicules with upturned apices and a more elliptical outline might have been missed. Future study is necessary to delimit the characters of this species against those of H. ( F.) hajdui subgen. et sp. nov.

Alcolado (2002) cited Haliclona sp. 2 based on a description of Kaminskaya (1971) of a specimen named Sigmadocia flagellifera from Northwestern Cuba, soft bottom at 5–9 m depth. Oxeas were 115– 220 × 3–5 μm, well below the above measurements, sigmas were cited as 16–64 μm, not differentiated

2

into flagellosigmas and normal sigmas. These data are insufficient to determine if this record were conspecific with the Colombian specimen.