Wigginsia curlewensis Rützler, Piantoni, Van & Díaz, 2014, new species

Wigginsia curlewensis new species

(Figures 4 a, 32)

Synonymy and references. Wigginsia de Laubenfels, 1953a: Hooper (2002): 428, fig. 12.

Material. Holotype: USNM 1229005, Curlew Bank, forereef slope, framework cave, 21 m; C. Piantoni & M. Parrish col. 21 Aug 2012.

Additional material examined: USNM 23222 Wigginsia wigginsi de Laubenfels, 1953a (holotype).

Diagnosis. Wigginsia with ectosomal tylotes, microspined at both ends (tyles), two size classes of choanosomal acanthostyles, microspined strongyles, and palmate isocheles.

External morphology. A very thin crust (<1 mm) coating about 25 cm 2 of the rock substratum. Smooth surface with a few porous areas but no distinctive openings. Live color is yellow orange.

Skeleton structure. Two size classes of acanthostyles and a small number of acanthostrongyles are positioned more or less erect and echinating on the substratum; longer, slim tylotes occur tangentially near the surface; rare isocheles are dispersed throughout the tissue.

Spicules. Ectosomal tylotes, microspined at the swollen ends (tyles): 220–295 x 5–8 (266 x 7) Μm; strongyles, microspined over entire shaft (acanthostrongyles): 161–200 x 3–7 (175 x 6) Μm; acanthostyles I, with coarse spines pointed away from the point, toward the rounded end: 146–210 x 10–17 (183 x 13) Μm; acanthostyles II, of similar shape but smaller: 53–114 x 5–9 (73 x 7) Μm; palmate isochelas (rare, n=5): 7–8 µm.

Ecology. Found only once, in a reef cave at 21 m.

Distribution. Belize.

Etymology. Named after the type locality, Curlew Bank (formerly Curlew Cay; the islet was washed away by a hurricane in the 1940s).

Comments. The type and only described species in this genus (Wigginsia wigginsi de Laubenfels, 1953a) was reported from the Arctic (North Pacific); this is the first record of the genus from the tropical Atlantic. As shown in Hooper (2002, fig. 12), our species differs from W. wigginsi by longer, slimmer ectosomal tylotes, smaller and thinner but more heavily spined acanthostyles in two distinct size classes, and the microspination of the strongyles.