| Demospongiae |
Poecilosclerida |
Iotrochotidae |
Iotrochota arenosa |
5 |
Thickly encrusting, irregular outline, deep purple to black, but somewhat transparent, usually partly buried on sediments; it produces abundant mucus which stains the fingers. Material from the Bahamas does not have birotule microsclere spicules, and megaslclere spicules are thin, curved to straight strongyles, often with a slight swelling at one or both ends. The lack of style spicules and birotules in Bahamian material, parallel what is found in local populations of Iotrochota birolulata (Higgin, 1877), which Rützler et al. (2007) named I. atra (Whitfield, 1901). A specimen from the Florida Keys had the usual megasclere spicule complement of the species (curved styles and strongyles, some oxeote; straight strongyles), but also lacked birotula microsclere spicules. This species is thicker than Artemisina melana van Soest, 1984, with it which may be confused in the field. Encrusting reef deep wall specimens with a brightly colored green skin, pictured in this catalogue, were assigned tentatively to I. birotulata, pending detailed examination of the spicules. |
Rützler, Maldonado, Piantoni & Riesgo, 2007 |
black,purple-violet,encrusting,soft,tough |
| Demospongiae |
Poecilosclerida |
Iotrochotidae |
Iotrochota birotulata |
19 |
Also known from the Bahamas as Iotrochota atra Rützler, Maldonado, Piantoni and Riesgo, 2007. Deep purple to black, repent to erect, single or divided branches. Skin often with parrot green tinges; upon manipulation, the skin retracts; it stains the fingers deep purple, releasing mucus. Oscules aligned usually on top of branches, may be slightly elevated. Sometimes found as clusters of tubes with top oscules. Fully encrusting deep reef wall specimens with vividly colored skin are tentatively assigned to this species instead of to I. arenosa in lieu of their color and lack of sand accumulation characteristic of the latter; also, because in mid-depth reef caves branching specimens may have wide encrusting bases; further detailed comparisons of spicules are pending. Rützler et al. (2007) decided that the material from The Bahamas, lacking birotulate microsclere spicules and style megasclere spicules, should be a different species which they named I. atra (Whitfield, 1901). But since its encrusting counterpart, I. arenosa, also lack birotules and styles in the Bahamas, we feel it to be the result of a regional condition (of low silicon content?) that affects both species. |
(Higgin, 1877) |
green,black,yellow,branching,encrusting,tube,bushy,tough,soft |
