An update on the diversity of marine sponges in the southern Gulf of Mexico coral reefs Author Ugalde, Diana diana.ugalde@ciencias.unam.mx Author Fernandez, Julio C. C. juliocesarbio@yahoo.com.br Author Gómez, Patricia Author Lôbo-Hajdu, Gisele glhajdu@uerj.br Author Simões, Nuno diana.ugalde@ciencias.unam.mx text Zootaxa 2021 2021-09-03 5031 1 1 112 http://zoobank.org/cc3a59d1-e09e-407e-93f4-4796fd3d7c19 journal article 10.11646/zootaxa.5031.1.1 1175-5326 5454380 CC3A59D1-E09E-407E-93F4-4796FD3D7C19 Neopetrosia proxima ( Duchassaing & Michelotti, 1864 ) Tables 6 , 7 ; Figs. 33A–C , 45A–B Synonymy and references: Thalysias proxima Duchassaing & Michelotti (1864: 84) , and van Soest et al. (1983: 198) ; Densa araminta , Neofibularia proxima and Xestospongia próxima : see references compiled in Muricy et al. (2011: 106) ; Neopetrosia proxima , Muricy et al. (2011: 106) , Santos et al. (2016: 336) , Pérez et al. (2017: 10) , van Soest (2017: 35) , and Vicente et al. (2019: 8) . Type locality. St. Thomas . Material examined. CNPGG-2376, CNPGG-2264 Banco Pera reef ( 20.72669°N , - 91.93481°W ), 20 m depth, coll. Oscar Bocardo, 15 September 2017 . Description. Habit elongate or massive. The size of the specimen with an elongate habit (CNPGG-2264, Fig. 45A ), ca. 20 × 6 × 2 cm . The larger massive specimen (CNPGG-2376, Fig. 45B ), ca. 20 ×10 × 2 cm . Surface microhispid and undulated. Oscules are slightly aligned (elongate specimen) or scattered (massive specimen). Color in vivo pale orange, pinkish-beige, or brownish-beige preserved in ethanol. The consistency is hard but friable. Skeleton. Ectosome is not easily detachable, and the tangential skeleton shows a rounded mesh; ca. 150–200 µm in diameter ( Fig. 33A ). Choanosome with a similar skeleton arrangement to the ectosomal skeleton. The choanosomal region with wide channels; up to 1500 µm width ( Fig. 33B ). Spicules. Megascleres: Oxeas, slightly curved ( Fig. 33C ); 132– 147 (10)–165/7– 9.2 (1.3)–12 µm. Distribution. Mexico (current records), US ( Florida ); other countries in the Caribbean Sea, Guyana , and Brazil ( van Soest 2017 ). Remarks. Only two species of Neopetrosia have been reported in the northern GoM, N. carbonaria and N. subtriangularis ( Rützler et al. 2009 ) . N. subtriangularis has been also reported in the southern section of the GoM ( e.g. , Green 1977 ; Green et al. 1986 ; Gómez 2007 ). Neopetrosia proxima has also been reported in Guyana by van Soest (2017) . Our study is the first record of N. proxima for the GoM, since it has not been recorded in any recent revision study of sponges from the region ( Gómez 2007 ; Rützler et al. 2009 ; Ugalde et al. 2015 ).