Clathria duplex

Sarà, 1958b

Species Overview

Clathria (Microciona) duplex Sarà, 1958b is one of the many thin red encrusting Microcionidae which may only reliably identified on their spicule complement. Its surface is particularly hispid. It is a Mediterranean species recorded from NW Spain as its most northern locality.

Taxonomic Description

Colour: Reddish orange.
Shape, size, surface and consistency: Thin delicate crusts on calcareous algae. Surface strongly hispid.
Spicules: (Clathria duplex spics) (Clathria duplex Sarà) Megascleres : Ectosomal subtylostyles, straight, with only slightly swollen rather elliptical, microspined heads: 125-275 x 4-5 µm; choanosomal styles large and thick, slightly curved, with rugose or smooth head, and smooth shaft, variable in length: 144-662 x 5-14 µm; echinating acanthostyles straight, barely developed heads, spined all-over: 100-150 x 6-8 µm.
Microscleres : Palmate isochelae: 14-18 µm; toxas, very fine with shallow curve: 37-60 µm.
Skeleton: Styles and acanthostyles erect on the surface.
Ecology: On maerl bottoms and in caves, 10-32 m.
Distribution: Galicia; Mediterranean.
Etymology: Duplex (Latin) = double, presumably referring to the two types of styles.
Type specimen information: The type supposedly is in the collections of the Istituto e Museo di Zoologia dell'Università di Napoli.

Remarks

The fine, shallow-curved toxas in combination with the hispid surface make this species recognizable.
Source: Solórzano et al., 1991.