Iotrochota baculifera Ridley, 1884

Fig. 14

Diagnostic features.

Black, thin, encrusting with rough surface, and boring. Choanosomal skeleton show multispicular reticulation. Spicule arrangements are styles 157.9–212.5 (191.7) × 7.4–15.9 (11.4) µm (n = 25), strongyles 248–287.6 (266.6) × 3.6–7.8 (6.7) µm (n = 25), with microsclere birotulate chelae, 13.9–17.3 (15.4) µm (n = 21). Iotrochota baculifera has similar coloration with Iotrochota purpurea (Bowerbank, 1875) and Iotrochota nigra (Baer, 1906) . Table 2 shows the comparison of the spicule measurements of these species.

Distribution and ecology.

Widespread from the Western Indian Ocean to Hawaii (Núñez Pons et al. 2017). Only two species of Iotrochota have been recorded from Spermonde Archipelago, Iotrochota purpurea and Iotrochota baculifera Ridley, 1884 (de Voogd 2005). Our specimen was found in the north-west of Samalona Island, the Spermonde Archipelago; reef flat.