| 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 |
| Demospongiae |
Halichondrida |
Dictyonellidae |
Acanthella ?mastophora |
2 |
Orange-yellow bush; tube-like branches arise from a single stalk. Confirmation of the species name needs further work. Spicules are sinuous strongyles and curved styles-styloids organized in loose, dendritic tracts. |
(Schmidt, 1870) |
orange,tube,bushy,soft |
| Demospongiae |
Halichondrida |
Dictyonellidae |
Dictyonella funicularis |
6 |
Previously placed under genus Ulosa. Olive green. Thinly encrusting, often with many erect processes and tangled branchelets, becoming massive. It is frequently found growing on other sponges. |
(Rützler, 1981) |
green,gray,branching,encrusting,massive,bushy,soft |
| Demospongiae |
Halichondrida |
Dictyonellidae |
Scopalina ruetzleri |
9 |
Originally described under genus Ulosa. Rather soft and fluffy orange to orange-yellow cushions. Surface conulose, rather transparent, with scatered and membranous oscules. Naturally shrunk specimens look less transparent and show tufts of spicules at the tip of conules. |
(Wiedenmayer, 1977) |
orange,orange-yellow,encrusting,soft |
| Demospongiae |
Halichondrida |
Dictyonellidae |
Stylissa caribica |
12 |
This is possibly the same species as Teichaxinella morchella Wiedenmayer, 1977. But the latter name has been synonymyzed with Axinella corrugata (incorrectly in our oppinion), which is a different species, also pictured in this catalogue. Erect, bright orange bushes, with scattered collared oscules; surface strongly corrugated to lamellated, although the skin is rather lustrous. Spicules are styles in a single size. In contrast, in A. corrugata the surface is hispid and not lustrous, and the megasclere spicules, in addition to the regular size styles, it has very long styles and oxea. |
Lehnert & van Soest, 1998 |
orange,tube,bushy,lobate,tough,soft |
| Demospongiae |
Halichondrida |
Dictyonellidae |
Svenzea cristinae |
1 |
Thick, crumbly to soft encrustations, golden brown, with the interior cream. Oscules on top of lobed elevations; sometimes lobes grow upwards and ramify. Spicules are curved to sinuous styles, 420-480 µm. Most specimens from the localities where it was described (Belize, Jamaica) have also oxea spicules, but these are reported to be sometimes absent. It has the dark granular cells in the interior characteristic of the genus Svenzea (see Svenzea zeai in this guide). |
Alvarez, van Soest & Rützler, 2002 |
brown,cinnamon-tan,encrusting,lobate,crumbly |
| Demospongiae |
Halichondrida |
Dictyonellidae |
Svenzea flava |
9 |
Originally described under genus Pseudaxinella. Orange-yellow to yellow thick encrustations to masses, with oscular lobes. Surface smooth; fields of pores are scattered in concave areas. Subsurface color is purple brown, internal color cream. Spicules are strongyles, often slightly asymmetrical (could be called styloids, but the less blunt end is not as pointed as in, for example, S. tubulosa). Alvarez et al. (2002) suggested it to belong to genus Svenzea but it lacks the dark granulous cells that other species of the genus have. |
(Lehnert & van Soest, 1999) |
yellow,cinnamon-tan,orange-yellow,encrusting,tube,massive,lobate,soft,crumbly |
| Demospongiae |
Halichondrida |
Dictyonellidae |
Svenzea sp. lobes, fans or branches |
7 |
Lobes, ridges or branches arising from an encrusting base. Yellowish to golden brown exterior, purple in the subsurface and creamy inside. Consistency compressible, spongy, but somewhat hard to cut or tear. Skeleton as a plumose paucispicular reticulation of slightly asymetric (oxeote) strongyles 150-230 x 2.5-7.5 µm. Svenzea flava Lehnert & van Soest, 1999 and Svenzea tubulosa (Alcolado & Gotera, 1986) are similar in coloration and spiculation but the spicules are larger and thicker than the present species. This species also seem to lack the strongly pigmented cells described for genus Svenzea. It should be compared to Neopetrosia dominicana (Pulitzler-Finali, 1986, as Xestospongia), which is described from a brown, slightly resilient, subcylindrical fragment, as having strongyles, slightly curved, 140-260 x 5-14 µm. |
|
yellow,cinnamon-tan,fan,lobate,branching,massive,tough,crumbly |
| Demospongiae |
Halichondrida |
Dictyonellidae |
Svenzea sp.-thick tubes |
6 |
A group of thick vases-tubes, cinnamon-tan in external color, soft and crumbly; subsurface color purplish, interior cream. Spicules are strongyles, curved and somewhat flexuous. In The Bahamas, it has only been seen in deep reef of Plana Cays. From its shape, at some point we thought it could be Xestospongia caminata Pulitzler-Finali, 1986, but the latter has oxeas as spicules. Svenzea sp. has a skeleton of ascending and interconnecting loose spicule tracts, ladder like, embedded in spongin, somewaht similar to Svenzea flava Lehnert & van Soest, 1999, Svenzea tubulosa (Alcolado & Gotera, 1986) and Svenzea sp-lobes or branches, but with the ascending tracts less obvious and plumose; as these, it also seem to lack the strongly pigmented cells described for genus Svenzea. |
|
pink-lilac,cinnamon-tan,tube,vase,fan,lobate,tough,soft,crumbly |
| Demospongiae |
Halichondrida |
Dictyonellidae |
Svenzea tubulosa |
9 |
Originally described under genus Scopalina. Tubes and bushes arising from crevices in the bottom. Tubes often have more than one hole. External color yellow, subsurface color purple, interior color cream.The genus allocation here is due to its similarity in texture, color and skeleton to Svenzea flava (Lehnert & van Soest, 1999), although S. tubulosa lacks as S. flava the strongly pigmented cells defined for the genus (see Alvarez et al., 2000). It has erroneously been considered the same as Ectyoplasia ferox, which has different spicules [stout styles and smaller styles spined at the tip in E. ferox, styloids (pointed end blunt) in S. tubulosa] and skeleton (plumose ascending, echinated tracts in E. ferox vs. Plumose ascending and interconnected tracts forming a reticulation in S. tubulosa). Also, E. ferox is a bit stiffer and may have tubes, but arising from an encrusting base, while the base in S. tubulosa is buried. |
(Alcolado & Gotera, 1986) |
yellow,orange,cinnamon-tan,tube,branching,papillated,bushy,lobate,crumbly,soft |
| Demospongiae |
Halichondrida |
Dictyonellidae |
Svenzea zeai |
13 |
Formerly considered (erroneously) Calyx podatypa (de Laubenfels, 1934), which is a valid, different species from shallow crevices (see Zea, 1987, and this catalogue). Originally and tentatively placed under genus Pseudaxinella. Thick encrustations to masses with low to high to globular volcano-shaped oscular mounds. Dark brown exterior and creamy interior. Very crumbly. It is one of the most abundant sponges in Caribbean reefs (but scarce at Santa Marta, Colombia, an area of seasonal upwelling). |
(Alvarez et al., 1998) |
brown,cream,encrusting,tube,massive,lobate,soft,crumbly |
| Demospongiae |
Halichondrida |
Halichondriidae |
Halichondria melanodocia |
3 |
Black or dark gray irregular cushions, rather crumbly, with a few slighlty elevated oscules; skin a bit leathery, with visible reticulation of tangentially placed spicules, it can be detached. It grows on mangrove roots and seagrass beds. |
de Laubenfels, 1936 |
green,black,massive,soft,crumbly |
| Demospongiae |
Halichondrida |
Halichondriidae |
Topsentia ophiraphidites |
11 |
Stiff to hard, globular to massive-amorphous with velvety-hispid surface, often partly buried in sediments or filling crevices in hard substrata, and with projecting elevations, pointed or lobed, sometimes with branchelets. Color from light brown-cinnanon to yellowish. Deep or cave specimens whitish. Reglardless of shape and color, we have placed under this species all stiff specimens with several categories of stout oxea, some of them bent twice, often erect as a palisade in the surface. Perhaps there is more than one species involved, but this needs further studies. For synonymies and related species see Álvarez et al. (1993). |
(de Laubenfels, 1934) |
yellow,white,brown,pink-lilac,cinnamon-tan,cream,purple-violet,branching,fan,massive,encrusting,spherical,papillated,lobate,tube,crumbly,hard,tough |
| Demospongiae |
Halichondrida |
Halichondriidae |
Topsentia pseudoporrecta |
3 |
Also known in the Caribbean as Topsentia porrecta, which is a name from the Azores (E. Atlantic). Encrusting to massive, creamy white, with fistules arising from the main body. Consistency stiff, crumbly. It is similar in consistency and skeleton (oxeas of various sizes, confused in arrangement, with a crust of spicules paratangentially arranged) to Topsentia ophiraphidites, also pictured in this catalogue, but the latter usually has tan to brownish tinges and when it has projections these are irregular and seldom papillae-like. The two specimens examined had abundant sand grains throughout the skeleton and on the surface, often forming a distinguishable cortex. Pending confirmation of spicule sizes. |
Diaz, Pomponi & van Soest, 1993 |
white,cream,encrusting,massive,papillated,tough,crumbly |
| Demospongiae |
Halichondrida |
Heteroxyidae |
Higginsia coralloides |
2 |
Previously known as Higginsia strigilata (Lamarck, 1814), a name originally from Australia. Scarlet red to orange, erect cylinder or bushes, with the surface formed by many evenly-spaced spiny, roundish processes from which spicules protrude. Spicules are very long styles, shorter oxea, and smaller acanthomicroxea. Can be confused with Ptilocaulis walpersi (styles only) and P. marquezi (oxea, no microxea). |
Higgin, 1877 |
orange,bushy,tough |
| 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 |
