| Demospongiae |
Halichondrida |
Heteroxyidae |
Myrmekioderma gyroderma |
8 |
Previously placed under genus Topsentia. Erroneously know by many Caribbean authors as Myrmekioderma styx (de Laubenfels, 1953), which is a junior synonym of M. rea (de Laubenfels, 1934), a valid species (also depicted here). Orange-yellow thick masses with conical or lobed oscular elevations. Surface heavily fouled, excepting elongated, meandering grooves of clean tissue (inhalant areas). It is distinguished from M. rea by its large, stout oxea; the latter has thinner oxea and styles. Besides, M. gyroderma lives on hard exposed substrata on the reef, while M. rea fills reef crevices or dwells buried in sand and rubble in lagoonal settings. |
(Alcolado, 1984) |
orange,orange-yellow,tube,massive,lobate,encrusting,tough,crumbly |
| Demospongiae |
Halichondrida |
Heteroxyidae |
Myrmekioderma rea |
6 |
Also known as Myrmekioderma styx de Laubenfels, 1953 [but other Caribbean authors used M. styx erroneously for another species which is known now as M. gyroderma (Alcolado, 1984), also described here]. M. rea grows filling cavities in reef hard substratum or is buried in sand and rubble; only the oscular areas are seen as orange-yellow patches, with the surface as a stretched membrane with fields of oscules. Buried surfaces or free sides have circular grooves which contract when handled, forming characteristic warts. This species may co-exists sympatrically with M. gyroderma in reefs, but it is distinguished from the latter in its growth form (massive and exposed in M. gyroderma), the circular grooves (elongated in M. gyroderma), and in having thinner oxea and styles instead of stout oxeas as principal spicules. |
(de Laubenfels, 1934) |
yellow,orange-yellow,encrusting,soft,crumbly |
