Clathrina delicata Fontana, Cóndor-Luján, Azevedo, Pérez & Klautau, 2018

Clathrina delicata Fontana, Cóndor-Luján, Azevedo, Pérez & Klautau, 2018 View in CoL

( Figs 11 View FIGURE 11 , 12 View FIGURE 12 ; Table 8 View TABLE 8 )

Synonym: Clathrina delicata View in CoL , Fontana et al. 2018: 27. Muricy et al. 2024: 6.

Material examined: UFRJPOR 8796 = MNRJ 21095 View Materials , Bellucia Shipwreck , 20–23 m depth, 01.iv.2017, coll. C. Leal. UFRJPOR 8812 , UFRJPOR 8813 , Escalvada Island, 15–15.4 m depth, 29.iii.2017, colls. A. Padua and C. Leal. UFRJPOR 8832 , Escalvada Island, 18 m depth, 31.iii.2017, colls. A. Padua and C. Leal .

Description: Cormus encrusting to somewhat massive, formed by large, irregular, and loosely anastomosed tubes. Several oscula, without water-collecting tubes, spread on the surface. Colour white alive and after fixation ( Figs 11A, B View FIGURE 11 ). Consistency fragile and compressible to the touch. Surface of the tubes smooth. Aquiferous system asconoid. Skeleton composed of three categories of triactines ( Fig 11C View FIGURE 11 ). Trichoxeas are also present.

Spicules ( Figs 11 View FIGURE 11 , 12 View FIGURE 12 ; Table 8 View TABLE 8 ).

Triactines I: Regular. Actines slightly conical to conical, straight, with sharp tips ( Figs 11D View FIGURE 11 , 12A View FIGURE 12 ). They are less abundant than triactines II and III. Size (UFRJPOR 8796): 194.6 (± 35.1)/ 21.6 (± 5.0) µm (N = 8).

Triactines II: Regular. Actines cylindrical, straight, with blunt to sharp tips ( Figs 11D View FIGURE 11 , 12B View FIGURE 12 ). They are the most abundant category. Size (UFRJPOR 8796): 121.6 (± 15.7)/ 9.7 (± 1.4) µm (N = 20).

Triactines III: Regular. Actines slightly conical to conical, straight, with sharp tips ( Fig 12C View FIGURE 12 ). Size (UFRJPOR 8796): 45.0 (± 12.1)/ 5.8 (± 1.0) µm (N = 20).

Ecology: Clathrina delicata is a sciophilous species, originally collected inside a cave in Martinique ( Fontana et al. 2018). Our specimens were collected within crevices. Depth range of 6 to 23 m.

Distribution: Eastern Caribbean ecoregion— Martinique, Lesser Antilles, Caribbean Sea (type locality; Fontana et al. 2018). Eastern Brazil ecoregion—Guarapari, Espírito Santo State (present work).

Taxonomic remarks: Clathrina delicata was until now known only from its type locality ( Martinique, Caribbean Sea ; Fontana et al. 2018). The morphology of the Espírito Santo specimens matches greatly the type series. Only two differences were observed between them: (1) colour after fixation, which was light yellow in the holotype and paratypes and white in ours; (2) triactines I, which were very rare and more conical in one of our specimens (UFRJPOR 8796). We interpreted these differences as intraspecific variability, considering that in our molecular analysis, all the specimens of C. delicata were recovered in a single clade with high support (C-LSU and ITS: B = 100%, PP = 1.0) and p-distance of 0%.