Timea stenosclera Hechtel 1969

Timea stenosclera Hechtel, 1969

(Figure 27)

Synonymy and references. Timea stenosclera Hechtel, 1969: 28, fig. 5.

Material. USNM 1228988, Carrie Bow Cay East, reef flat, underside of platy coral rubble, 0.5 m; K. Ruetzler col. 29 Jan 1986. USNM 1228989, 1228990, Carrie Bow Cay South reef, lower surface of rock slab, 1 m; K. Ruetzler col. 13 Mar 0 9.

External morphology. Very thinly encrusting (<1 mm), covering areas of up to 12 cm 2. Smooth surface where meandering exhalant canals, leading toward tiny (<1 mm) oscula, are forming star-like patterns. Soft consistency, yellow-orange to ochre live color.

Skeleton structure. Bundles of tylostyles radiate from the substratum toward the ectosome, where many protrude beyond the surface. Euasters occur throughout the tissue, packed a bit more densely in the ectosome.

Spicules. Tylostyles, straight and slender, with small, mostly spherical heads: 176–310 x 2–7 (287 x 5) Μm; spheroxyasters (with centrum larger than 33%, up to 50% of total diameter), with microspined rays that are either pointed or dull (strongylasters): 19–25 (22) µm; and rarer spheroxyasters with smooth, sharply pointed rays: 15–18 (17) µm.

Ecology. Cryptic (under coral rubble, inside dead conch shells), 0.2– 20 m.

Distribution. Caribbean and Brazil.

Comments. Hechtel’s (1969) measurements of the smaller category of euasters average much less than ours (means=9.2 µm) but all other characteristics and spicule dimensions agree well, prompting us to assign our species to his.