Axinella nayaritensis Carballo, Bautista-Guerrero & Cruz-Barraza 2018

Axinella nayaritensis Carballo, Bautista-Guerrero & Cruz-Barraza, 2018 Figure 4, Table 4 Examined material. MUHNES-91-12— El Bajón de Zúniga (13°30’16.15”N, 89°47’7.4”W), depth 12 m, A. Trejo (13.VI.2018); MUHNES-91-41— El Candado (13°30’40.6”N, 89°47’56.7”W), depth 4 m, A. Trejo (19.VI.2018). Description. Erect sponge with cylindrical ramifications, and corrugated surface very difficult to break. The size of the sponge varies between 15–20 cm high by 16–20 cm wide. Branches have a diameter of 0.4–1.2 cm and in young sponges a simple bifurcation can be observed. It has small, slightly raised oscula. Color in life is orange and turns brown when preserved in alcohol (Figure 4A). The skeleton is distinguished by having a condensed axial center that expands towards the surface (Figure 4D), many styles exceed the surface of the sponge forming groups of spicules that resemble brushes (Figure 4E). The spicules present are oxeas (260–501 µm) and styles (254–440 µm) (Figure 4B–C). Ecological notes. The species was found on sandy substrate, usually in sites surrounded by large rocks and is colonized by large numbers of brittle stars. It was collected in sites from 4 to 12 m depth. Distribution and previous records. The species was described by Carballo et al. (2018) from Nayarit, Mexico. Lizarazo et al. (2020) reported the species from the northern Colombian Pacific and, Trejo & Segovia (2024) previously reported it from El Salvador at Punta Amapala. Here we extend the species distribution to Los Cóbanos, the southwestern reef of the country (Table 12). Remarks. The specimens agree to the original description in the spicules form and skeletal arrangement (Carballo et al. 2018), although, our specimens have slightly shorter oxeas (up to 501 μm). The species has been collected from the Eastern Tropical Pacific in a range of 7 to 25 m depth (Carballo et al. 2018; Lizarazo et al. 2020) while in El Salvador appears to have a shallower distribution starting at 3 m and up to 12 m depth.