| Demospongiae |
Dictyoceratida |
Thorectidae |
Hyrtios cavernosus |
11 |
Correspondos to what Wiedenmayer (1977) called Hyrtios cavernosus, but it is not the original Hyatella cavernosa (Pallas, 1766, as Spongia), which is a different, valid species with the typical skeleton of a commercial sponge [also known as Hyatella intestinalis (Lamarck, 1814) by some Caribbean authors]. Massive to rounded, sometimes encrusting, with oscules elevated by a conical smooth membrane. Surface usually conulose, with smooth areas or skin over subdermal spaces, sometimes with fields of pores. Dark-gray exterior, cream interior. It is spongy, usually easy to tear. It smells slightly like sponge of the genus Ircinia (garlic and sulfur), but does not have spongin fibrills. Fasciculated and striated spongin fibers. Primaries with debris, often fasciculated; secondary inteconecting usually clean; fibers not have as much debris as H. proteus Duchassaing & Michelotti, 1864, which is jet black in the field in other areas of the Caribbean. It may need a new name, or a thorough search for one in the older literature and collections. |
sensu Wiedenmayer (1977) |
gray,black,massive,encrusting,lobate,tough |
| Demospongiae |
Dictyoceratida |
Thorectidae |
Hyrtios proteus |
3 |
Black mass with volcano-shaped oscular mounds; surface with a honeycomb pattern of fiber endings. Interior cream. Consistency relatively soft, as it can be easily cut with a knife. This is a tentative designation, pending revision of more material. In other areas of the Caribbean H. proteus tends to be thickly encrusting to massive with oscules aligned and does not tend to form volcano-like elevations. It concurs in having a dermis and thick primary spongin fibers filled with sand grains. Secondary interconnecting fibers are not too evident and apparently far apart. |
Duchassaing & Michelotti, 1864 |
black,gray,tube,massive,soft |
| Demospongiae |
Dictyoceratida |
Thorectidae |
Hyrtios sp.-gray amphora |
4 |
Gray, amphora-like sponges arising from cave ledges and bending towards the outside. Oscular rim narrow, smooth; surface often fouled, with a low-profile honeycomb pattern. Consistency compressible, but not too elastic, somewhat difficult to tear. Skeleton of ascending and interconnecting spongin fibers filled with sand grains and foreign material; surface with a network of sand grains, leaving only pore spaces. Should be compared to Hyrtios tubulatus Lehnert & van Soest, 1998, for which there only exists dry material. It could also be a growth form (cave?) of Hyrtios cavernosus sensu Wiedenmayer, 1977 (also pictured in this guide), as it shares with it the gray color and the skeletal architecture. There are small-juvenile? Stages similar to this one in Ircinia strobilina (see photos therein). |
|
gray,green,cream,tube,tough |
| Demospongiae |
Dictyoceratida |
Thorectidae |
Hyrtios violaceus |
7 |
Also known as Oligoceras hemorraghes de Laubenfels, 1936. Sprawling, irregular, soft masses of interconnected repent fingers or blunt ridges with slightly elevated oscules located on top. Color brownish to purplish. Exudates purple ink but only sometime after collection. |
(Duchassaing & Michelotti, 1864) |
black,brown,purple-violet,massive,encrusting,tube,lobate,soft |
| Demospongiae |
Dictyoceratida |
Thorectidae |
Hyrtios? sp. |
2 |
Black cushions, smooth to lowly conulose. It uses a branching red coralline algae as skeleton. Different from Dysidea janiae (Duchassaing & Michelotti, 1864) in color and shape. Generic and species identity pending further work. |
|
black,massive,tough,soft |
| Demospongiae |
Dictyoceratida |
Thorectidae |
Smenospongia aurea |
17 |
Massive, often forming groups of adjacent oscular mounds or volcanos. It becomes dark and exudes abundant mucus when handled. There are three color morphs of this species: drab to brown skin-yellow oscules-yellow flesh; light greenish skin-yellow green oscules-yellow green flesh; yellow skin and interior. Two different species are readily distinguished in the Caribbean, often co-existing: S. aurea and S. conulosa Pulitzer-Finali, 1986. It is distinguished from S. conulosa by the honeycomb pattern of the dermis resting on fibers while in S. conulosa the primary fibers ends at the surface form blunt projections not connected to each other. A possibly third species, vivid parrot green in color is also included in this catalogue. There is considerable taxonomic confusion regarding S. aurea, with many names still available, which persist owing to the similarity among fixed, type specimens. Older names that may fit into this species are those of Duchassaing & Michelotti (1864, Spongia musicalis, Spongia cerebriformis), and also younger Polyfibrospongia echina de Laubenfels, 1934. |
(Hyatt, 1875) |
gray,yellow,green,cream,cinnamon-tan,branching,tube,massive,lobate,tough,soft |
| Demospongiae |
Dictyoceratida |
Thorectidae |
Smenospongia conulosa |
23 |
Massive, with oscular mounds or volcanoes, Bright to dark green to brown black or gray. It becomes dark and exudes abundant mucus when handled. Distinguished from S. aurea (Hyatt, 1875) by having blunt ends of primary fibers protruding on the surface, while the surface of S. aurea forms a honeycomb pattern of ridges. These primary fibers are also wider apart than in S. aurea. S. aurea fibers are also wider, especially the secondary reticulum, with many characteristic rectangular meshes (longer axis perpendicular to de surface). |
Pulitzer-Finali, 1986 |
green,brown,gray,black,tube,massive,lobate,vase,tough |
| Demospongiae |
Dictyoceratida |
Thorectidae |
Smenospongia sp.-black massive |
1 |
Black, massive, tough, with a strongly warty surface. It releases abundant mucus and darkens in air as other species of the genus. It is close to Smenospongia conulosa Pulitzer-Finali, 1986, which is usually dark green. But the fibers of this species are much thicker than those of S. conulosa, hence its greater toughness. |
|
black,spherical,massive,tough |
| Demospongiae |
Dictyoceratida |
Thorectidae |
Smenospongia sp.-parrot green |
3 |
Massive, parrot green exterior, yellow interior. Color becomes dark purple upon exposure to air. Abundant mucus release. Surface with low, regularly scattered protrusions which correspond to the end of groups of primary skeletal fibers. Skeleton of clear, tough, laminated spongin fibers arrranged in a more or less regular reticulation, which is somewhat condensed in the areas that protrude to the surface.The fibers are of similar thickness to those of Smenospongia conulosa Pulitzer-Finali, 1986, but the reticulation appears more fine. Fibers are not as wide to those of Smenospongia aurea (Hyatt, 1875). We initially placed this parrot green morphotype as part of the variation of S. conulosa, being dominant in some areas. But as we found the two morphotypes growing together with S. aurea and S. conulosa, and clearly distinct in color and shape, we decided to place it as a separate, yet unidentified species. The old literature must be searched for a possible available name before deciding whether it is a new, undescribed species. |
|
green,tube,massive,tough |
