Merlia normani Kirkpatrick 1908

Merlia normani Kirkpatrick, 1908

Synonymy and references. Merlia normani Kirkpatrick, 1908: Hajdu & van Soest (2002): 692, fig. 1; Cruz (2002): 190 (2 figs.)

Material. USNM 1229067, Carrie Bow Cay forereef slope, lower surface of coral rock; 25 m; K. Ruetzler col. 26 Apr 1974. USNM 1229070, Carrie Bow Cay forereef slope, cave, 35 m; K. Ruetzler col. 26 Apr 1974. USNM 1229071, Carrie Bow Cay forereef, lower side of dead Agaricia coral, 8-10 m; K. Ruetzler col. 11 May 1975. USNM, 1229072, Curlew Bank forereef cave, 20 m; C. Piantoni col. 2 Jul 2007.

External morphology. Very thin crusts, 1–8 cm 2, 1 mm thick at most. No visible openings, color yellow to yellow orange.

Skeleton structure. The tissue overlays and fills the honeycombed calcareous base skeleton. Tylostyles form some tracts, from the base to the surface, points outward; they are accompanied by raphids (bundled in trichodragmas). Clavidiscs occur throughout the tissue but are most common in the ectosome, commas are found mostly in the choanosome.

Spicules. Very thin, straight tylostyles with oval head and sharp points: 120–182 x 3 (148 x 3) Μm; the shaft reaches 2 µm thickness at most; clavidiscs: 50–86 x 30–66 (65 x 48) Μm; raphids, microspined, a few are centrotylote: 60– 88 x 1–2 (80 x 2) Μm; micospined microxeas, bent in the center („commas,“ but with points on both sides, no knob-like thickening): 19–26 x <1–2 (23 x 1) Μm.

Ecology. A typical representative of forereef caves and similar cryptic habitats, 25–35 m and below.

Distribution. Eastern Mediterranean, eastern Atlantic (Azores, Canaries, Madeira), Bermuda, Caribbean.