Tables 6, 7; Figs. 63A–E, 70G

Synonymy and references: Cryptothethya crypta de Laubenfels (1949: 20), and Sàra & Bavestrello (1996: 383); Tethya crypta, and Tectitethya crypta: see references complided in Sàra & Bavestrello (1996: 383); Cryptotheca crypta: Lerner et al. (1998: 1).

Type locality. The Bahamas.

Material examined. CNPGG-2176, Cayo Arcas reef (20.19963°N, 91.96680°W), 7.6 m depth, Diana Ugalde, 25 April 2018; CNPGG-2207, Cayo Arcas reef (20.20183°N, 91.97583°W), 6.9 m depth, Diana Ugalde, 20 August 2018.

Description. Massive to lobate habit (Fig. 70G); the overall size is 15 × 10 × 8 cm. The surface is irregular and covered by sand. The sand is also scattered inside the body. The oscules are scattered 1–2 cm in diameter, and have a delicate membrane. Black color in vivo and also in ethanol. The consistency is firm but slightly compressible.

Skeleton. Ascending tracts or bundles of spicules radially arranged, protruding outside the surface, the bundles incorporate foreign detritus (Fig. 63A).

Spicules. Megascleres:Anisostrongyles to strongyles, straight, fusiform, and smooth (Fig. 63B–C); 792– 1098.8 (272.8)–1671.5/8.3– 13.8 (5.1)–21.3 µm. Microscleres: Megasters– oxyspherasters– smooth, with simple or bifid ray (Figs. 63D–E); 37.6– 49.4 (7.2)–58 µm in diameter. Micrasters–strongylasters–microspined (Figs. 63D–E); 8.7– 11.7 (2.8)–15.8 µm in diameter.

Distribution. Mexico (Maas-Vargas 2004; current records), Bahamas, US (Florida) (de Laubenfels 1949a; Wiedenmayer 1977), Cuba, Greater Antilles (Sarà & Bavestrello 1996).

Remarks. There are four valid species of Tectitethya in the TNwA: T. keyensis Sará & Bavestrello 1996 and T. macrostella Sará & Bavestrello 1996 from Florida; T. raphyroides Sará & Bavestrello 1996 from the Cayman Islands; and T. crypta (de Laubenfels 1949) widely distributed in the TNwA (Alcolado 1976; Wiedenmayer 1977; Pulitzer-Finali 1986; Sarà & Bavestrello 1996; Maas-Vargas 2004). The latter species is here reported for the SGoM.

The detailed description of T. crypta in Sará & Bavestrello (1996) may be considered as the most reliable description of the species because it was built by the examination of type material and comparisons to other Tectitethya species. Sará & Bavestrello (1996) pointed out the mixture of external aspects of T. keyensis and T. crypta in Wiedenmayer’s redescription, but the spicules refer to T. crypta.

The present material coincides with T. crypta in overall traits, except for slight differences in spicule measurements: the anisostrongyles of the original description are congruent with ours (about 20 µm thick in de Laubenfels 1949), but thicker (10–40 µm) in Sará & Bavestrello (1996). The megasters—oxyspherasters are slightly larger in our material (37.6–49.4 µm) than those reported by de Laubenfels and Sará & Bavestrello (10–40 µm). The remaining features are similar to T. crypta.