Cervicornia cuspidifera Lamarck 1815

Cervicornia cuspidifera (Lamarck, 1815)

Figures 105a–d

Alcyonium cuspidiferum Lamarck, 1815: 168.

Spirastrella cuspidifera; Topsent 1933: 41.

Xestospongia tierneyi; Wiedenmayer 1977: 117, pl. 15 fig. 3, text-fig. 130 (Not: Prianos tierneyi De Laubenfels, 1953: 534, fig. 10 = Spheciospongia vesparium)

Spheciospongia cuspidifera; Pulitzer-Finali 1986: 94, figs 22–23; Vicente et al. 1991: 217; Rützler 1997: 1393.

Cervicornia cuspidifera; Rützler & Hooper 2000: 342; Rützler 2002: 174, figs 1–2; Muricy et al. 2011: 64.

Material examined. RMNH Por. 6306, Guyana, ‘Luymes’ Guyana Shelf Expedition, station 107, 7.7°N 57.5°W, depth 65 m, muddy sand bottom with shells, 5 September 1970; RMNH Por. 9815, Guyana, ‘Luymes’ Guyana Shelf Expedition, station 68, 7.4167°N 57.1333°W, depth 51 m, muddy sand bottom, 31 August 1970; RMNH Por. 9830, Guyana, ‘Luymes’ Guyana Shelf Expedition, station 87, 7.5667°N 57.2667°W, depth 59 m, bottom sand and shells, 2 September 1970.

Description. Hollow fingershaped sponges (Fig. 105a) protruding from a broader body mass buried in the sediment. The protruding fingers are closed at the apex. No apparent oscules. One of the specimens (Fig. 105a) is 11 cm high, 2.5 cm in diameter, without base, a second is 14 cm high, 3 cm in diameter from a fragmented base of 5 x 3 cm. Color in alcohol orange-brown or dark red-brown (from the discolored label the color of the latter specimen has likely been influenced by being part of a sample containing a verongid species). Surface smooth, but a feeling of friction is felt upon touch. Consistency firm.

Skeleton. (Fig. 105b) At the surface the skeleton consists of erect brushes of tylostyles (pointed ends outward) surrounding open spaces covered by a membrane in which microscleres are crowded. Choanosomal skeleton a largely confused mass of tylostyles, consisting of a mixture of loose spicules and short bundles.

Spicules. (Figs 105c–d) Tylostyles, spirasters.

Tylostyles (Figs. 105c,c1) curved, with faint tyles, characteristically with the pointed ends bluntly rounded, in a large size range but not divisible in size categories, 297– 432 –564 x 10 – 12.2 –15 µm.

Spirasters (Figs 105d), short, curved usually once, with the shaft provided with composite spines concentrated on the ends and on the outer curve, inner curve usually smooth or with low spines; rarely curved 1½ times; occasionally straight, not curved and then provided with spines along the shaft; 13– 14.9 –19 µm.

Distribution and ecology. Guyana Shelf, Belize, Bahamas, Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, NE Brazil, 4–65 m depth (Guyana Shelf 51–65 m).

Remarks. The present specimens are singular and undivided fingers, not branching at the periphery and/or proliferating, like in many specimens shown in previous studies. Also the diversity of spirasters is less than shown in e.g. Rützler (2002). Despite these discrepancies, it is clear that the Guyana specimens fall within the observed variation of this common sandy bottom species.