| Demospongiae |
Halichondrida |
Axinellidae |
Auletta? sp.-orange velvety tubes |
6 |
Narrow funnell-like tubes, orange to orange yellow, arising form a narrow stalk, single or branched. Spicules are styles, some flexuous, some with a slightly wide head or a subterminal ring; and curved oxea with blunt to acute ends. The skeleton is a reticulation of ascending-radiating and interconnecting, loose tracts of spicules embedded in spongin. The inner part of tubes appear not to be reinforced by sheets of sinuous spicules as the definition of the genus states, hence its tentative assignment. The two Western Atlantic species described are deep water, vis. Auletta sycinularia Schmidt, 1870 and Auletta tuberosa Alvarez, van Soest and Rützler, 1998, both tubular. Detailed comparisons are pending. |
|
orange-yellow,tube,soft |
| Demospongiae |
Halichondrida |
Axinellidae |
Axinella corrugata |
6 |
Originally placed under genus Acanthella. Also known as Oxeostylon (or Teichaxinella) burtoni de Laubenfels, 1934. Orange-yellow bushes, often with tubular ends. Surface very corrugated and velvety. It has been synonymyzed with Teichaxinella morchella Wiedenmayer, 1977, which is more probably Stylissa caribica Lehnert & van Soest, 1998, also pictured in this guide. S. caribica which has a softer and smoother skin, with has wider convolutions. In addition, it has only regular sized styles as spicules, in contrast to the additional category of long styles and oxea spicules of A. corrugata. A. corrugata can also be confused with Axinella sp.-orange corrugated tubes-branches, also pictured in this guide, but the latter corrugation is lower and it lacks the long category of styles, the oxea being larger that the larger style. Axinella digitiformis Lehnert & van Soest, 1996 may be a junior synonim of A. corrugata. |
(George & Wilson, 1919) |
orange,orange-yellow,branching,tube,bushy,tough |
| Demospongiae |
Halichondrida |
Axinellidae |
Axinella sp.-orange corrugated tubes-branches |
5 |
Orange tubes with a corrugated surface, compressible; a branching specimen was found with the same spicule complement. Spicules are curved styles of various sizes, and curved to bent oxea always larger than styles. It can be confused with Axinella corrugata (George & Wilson, 1919). We compared co-existing specimens (see images) and their surface is different, A. corrugata having larger protrusions. They have a similar spicule complement, excepting that A. corrugata has an additional category of styles which are larger than the oxea. |
|
orange,branching,tube,bushy,tough |
| Demospongiae |
Halichondrida |
Axinellidae |
Dragmacidon explicatum |
13 |
Previoulsy placed under genera Pseudaxinella and Ectyoplasia (as Ectyoplasia ferox explicata). Thick bright orange or red encrustations with volcano-like oscules having a wide rim and often partly or totally closed by a diafragm; surface often spiny or having a honeycombed pattern of ridges. It was previously synonymized with Dragmacidon reticulatum (=also locally known as Pseudaxinella lunaecharta). However, this is a clearly distinct although similarly-looking species, coexisting with D. reticulatum in some areas (Stirrups Cays, Bahamas, Santa Marta, Colombia), with distinct spicules. D. explicatum has a more elaborated surface and is tougher, while D. reticulatum has a smoother surface is softer and often grows erect. In coexisting specimens, D. explicatum has some of the styles spicules as long as the oxea spicules, while D. reticulatum has oxea larger than styles. |
(Wiedenmayer, 1977) |
orange,encrusting,massive,bushy,lobate,tough,crumbly |
| Demospongiae |
Halichondrida |
Axinellidae |
Dragmacidon reticulatum |
9 |
Previously known as Pseudaxinella lunaecharta Ridley and Dendy, 1886, a name from the E. Atlantic. Small masses to erect clubs or thick lamellae, brigh orange or red; surface usually smooth, with scattered oscules, often flush to the surface, and aligned on the upper ridges. Dragmacidon explicatum was placed in synonymy with D. reticulatum but they are clearly distinct species, in overall shape and spicule characteristics. They coexist in some areas (Stirrups Cays, Bahamas, Santa Marta, Colombia). D. reticulatum has a smoother surface and often grows erect, while D. explicatum has a more elaborated surface and is predominantly thickly encrusting and slightly softer. In coexisting specimens, typically, D. reticulatum has oxea spicules larger than the style spicules, while D. explicatum has some of the styles as long as the oxea. |
(Ridley & Dendy, 1886) |
orange,red,branching,fan,bushy,lobate,massive,tough |
| Demospongiae |
Halichondrida |
Axinellidae |
Dragmaxia undata |
1 |
Orange-yellow, low mounds to low bushes, with all the surface made of irregular hispid projections. The species was collected in the Bahamas but no photo was obtained. A photo from Santa Marta, Colombia, is included. |
Alvarez, van Soest & Rützler, 1998 |
orange-yellow,massive,bushy,tough |
| Demospongiae |
Halichondrida |
Axinellidae |
Ptilocaulis marquezi |
3 |
Also placed under genus Teichaxinella. Orange, erect, cylindrical branches, single or divided, with the surface composed of thin, semihorizontal lamellae. Can be confused with Ptilocaulis walpersi, wich is usually more scarlet, and has the surface projections more spinous, round and blunt. They can be distinguished by the spicules (styles in P. walpersi, oxea in P. marquezi). P. marquezi is always much more uncommon than P. walpersi. Can also be confused in the field with Higginsia coralloides Higgin, 1877, which has oxea and acanthomicroxea spicules. |
(Duchassaing & Michelotti, 1864) |
orange,orange-yellow,branching,bushy,tough |
| Demospongiae |
Halichondrida |
Axinellidae |
Ptilocaulis walpersi |
13 |
Scarlet red to orange cylindrical branches, single or divided; sometimes laterally fused conforming a fan. Surface with spiny, round and blunt processes. Can be confused with P. marquezi (Duchassaing & Michelotti, 1864), which is usually more orange and has flattened lamellae in the surface. They are also distinguished by spicules (oxea in P. marquezi, styles in P. walpersi). P. walpersi is much more common (P. marquezi is rare). Can also be confused in the field with Higginsia coralloides Higgin, 1877, which has oxea and acanthomicroxea spicules. |
(Duchassaing & Michelotti, 1864) |
red,orange,branching,bushy,tough |
