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Erylus trisphaerus is a massive, amorphous to lobed, dark to light brown, with occasional beige tones, marine sponge that can be classified as rather rare.
Its surface is smooth and has very small pores, the oscula on the upper side of the lobes are ≤ 1 cm wide and covered with a very thin brown membrane.
The sponge is compressible, but slightly brittle, and of dense consistency.
Erylus trisphaerus is a rare species that was originally described from Apalachee Bay in North Florida from a depth of 13 meters.
Since then it has been reported from shallow reefs in Alacranes Reef (southern GoM), Cuba and Curaçao.
Also new are occurrence reports from mesophotic reefs.
Dimensions:
The sponge measures 3.5 - 8 cm in height and 3 - 5 cm in width, the well-developed lobes have a diameter of 2 - 3.5 cm.
The surface is smooth, but when taken out of the water, the sponge shrinks and shows irregularly distributed ostia.
The scules at the tip of the lobes and some lateral scules have a diameter of less than 1 mm, the latter are surrounded by a lighter color. The consistency is firmly compressible but slightly friable.
The color in vivo is dark brown with occasional beige tones
Erylus trisphaerus differs from its relatives in the West Indies by its three-lobed aspidaster.
The lack of records of Erylus trisphaerus around the West Indies makes Erylus trisphaerus a possible endemic species in the Gulf of Mexico.
This new record for the Mexican coasts is particularly noteworthy because Erylus trisphaerus has not been reported since it was first described by de Laubenfels (1953).
Synonym: Unimia trisphaera de Laubenfels, 1953
Its surface is smooth and has very small pores, the oscula on the upper side of the lobes are ≤ 1 cm wide and covered with a very thin brown membrane.
The sponge is compressible, but slightly brittle, and of dense consistency.
Erylus trisphaerus is a rare species that was originally described from Apalachee Bay in North Florida from a depth of 13 meters.
Since then it has been reported from shallow reefs in Alacranes Reef (southern GoM), Cuba and Curaçao.
Also new are occurrence reports from mesophotic reefs.
Dimensions:
The sponge measures 3.5 - 8 cm in height and 3 - 5 cm in width, the well-developed lobes have a diameter of 2 - 3.5 cm.
The surface is smooth, but when taken out of the water, the sponge shrinks and shows irregularly distributed ostia.
The scules at the tip of the lobes and some lateral scules have a diameter of less than 1 mm, the latter are surrounded by a lighter color. The consistency is firmly compressible but slightly friable.
The color in vivo is dark brown with occasional beige tones
Erylus trisphaerus differs from its relatives in the West Indies by its three-lobed aspidaster.
The lack of records of Erylus trisphaerus around the West Indies makes Erylus trisphaerus a possible endemic species in the Gulf of Mexico.
This new record for the Mexican coasts is particularly noteworthy because Erylus trisphaerus has not been reported since it was first described by de Laubenfels (1953).
Synonym: Unimia trisphaera de Laubenfels, 1953
