Deficient Merlia Normani Kirkpatrick, 1908, from the Curaçao Reefs, with a discussion on the Phylogenetic Interpretation of Sclerosponges

Abstract

A specimen of the sclerosponge Merlia lacking a basal skeleton of calcareous chambers (corresponding to the description of Merlia deficiens Vacelet, 1980) is reported from the underside of the coral Agaricia at a depth of 10 m on the reef of Curaçao, Netherlands Antilles. Its spiculation is identical to Merlia normani Kirkpatrick, 1908 specimens with the basal skeleton, from which it is concluded that M. deficiens and M. normani are probably conspecific.