Haliclona (Gellius) violacea De Laubenfels, 1950

(Figs 14 A–D)

Haliclona enamela sensu De Laubenfels, 1939 (not: Haliclona enamela De Laubenfels, 1930). Toxadocia violacea De Laubenfels, 1950: 16, fig. 9.

Material examined. USNM 22658 Clipperton Island, shore collecting on rocks, to south of landing place, coll. W.L. Schmitt, July 21, 1938, nr. 9, ‘Presidential Cruise 1938, Honorable Franklin D. Roosevelt, donor’ (Fig. 14 A).

Description. Encrusting sponge with small lobes, several of which bear a terminal oscule (Fig. 14 A). Size approx. 3.5 x 2 x 1 cm. Consistency soft, limp. Color (alcohol) light pinkish brown.

Skeleton (Fig. 14 B). Largely unispicular, but rather irregular, due to virtual absence of nodal spongin.

Spicules. Oxeas and toxas.

Oxeas (Fig. 14 C), of the characteristic Haliclona form, slightly curved, sharply pointed, 93– 105.1 –119 x 3 – 3.6 –4.5 µm.

Toxas (Fig. 14 D), thin, variably curved, in a wide size range, 34– 42.2 – 63 x 0.5 µm.

Ecology and distribution. On intertidal coral rocks. Known from Île Clipperton and Hawaii (Oahu).

Remarks. We were able to compare a fragment of the type from Hawaii (USNM 22752) with the present specimen and this conforms in most details to De Laubenfels’ type. Habit and size of the sponge, unispicular skeleton with little or no spongin, size and shape of oxeas, size and shape of toxas. The only difference appeared to be the thicker toxas (1 µm against 0.5 µm in the present material). The live color is not preserved in the fragment of the type, nor in the Clipperton material, but we assume the specimen to have had a violet live color.

It is not clear why De Laubenfels (1939) assigned the specimen to the Central Californian Haliclona enamela De Laubenfels (1930) . This species does not possess toxas and is otherwise also dissimilar (spongin rich skeleton with ascending fibers cored by 8–12 spicules, cf. De Laubenfels 1932: 119).

A second Central Pacific Haliclona species with toxas is the sponge originally described as Toxadocia tyroeis De Laubenfels (1954a) from Palau. This has a cheesy consistency and a dense mass of oxeas of two size classes, quite unlike the present material.