Latrunculia (Biannulata) spinispiraefera Brøndsted, 1924

Samaai, Toufiek, Gibbons, Mark J. & Kelly, Michelle, 2006, Revision of the genus Latrunculia du Bocage, 1869 Porifera: Demospongiae: Latrunculiidae) with descriptions of new species from New Caledonia and the Northeastern Pacific (, Zootaxa 1127 (1), pp. 1-71 : 48-49

Latrunculia (Biannulata) spinispiraefera Brøndsted, 1924

( Figs 1P, 7 ; Tables 2 & 3)

Latrunculia spinispiraefera Brøndsted, 1924 , PG. 480, FIG 33 A–E

Holotype material. Not examined. Holotype ZMUC * Latrunculia spinispiraefera Brøndsted, 1924 , depth 99 m, 2 miles E of North Cape , New Zealand .

Description Massive, subspherical sponges, 10 cm in diameter. Surface finely granulated, with numerous short volcano­shaped oscules, 1–3 mm high x 1–10 mm in diameter, with no indication of the presence of mammiform areolate porefields. Colour in life unknown; in preservative dark brown (modified from Brøndsted 1924).

Skeleton. The choanosomal skeleton consists of an irregular polygonal­meshed reticulation formed by wispy tracts of smooth styles. These tracts range in width from 150 –200 µm in thickness but may be in some places very loosely arranged. There is no distinction between the primary and secondary fibres. Towards the surface of the sponge these spicules tend to be vertically arranged. The surface of the ectosome is lined with a layer of erect anisodiscorhabds.

Spicules. Megascleres: styles are smooth, centrally thickened, fusiform and slightly sinuous, with a narrow head region often looking like strongyloxeas, 420 x (10) m. Microscleres ( Fig. 1P): Anisodiscorhabds, the manubrium is roughly spined and expanded. The median whorl is circular, broad, flat and horizontally arranged, being the largest of the three whorls, 25 m in diameter. The median whorl is divided into three distinct segments, each possessing eight denticulate margins or spines. The subsidiary whorl is slanted upwards and is situated close to the apical whorl. The subsidiary whorl is divided into three distinct segments with seven to eight denticulate margins. The spines of the apical whorl are distally placed, almost parallel with the axis, ending in a crown­like tuft of acute spined projections, 45 m.

Substratum, depth range and ecology. Found on hard substrata. Depth 100 m

Geographic distribution ( Fig. 7 ). North Cape, New Zealand.

Remarks. This species was first described by Brøndsted (1924) from a single sample, collected off New Zealand. The holotype of L. spinispiraefera Brøndsted was described as possessing spinispirae but these microscleres were determined to be foreign as Bergquist (1968) reported, belonging to Trachycladus stylifer Dendy (1924) which was collected and packed with the specimen of L. spinispiraefera described Brøndsted (See Bergquist 1968; Alvarez et al. 2002). Bergquist (1968) subsequently concluded that L. spinispiraefera was a species of L. lendenfeldi , which in turn was considered a junior synonym of L. brevis (by Bergquist, 1968). The conspecifity of the latter two species were invalidated in that L. lendenfeldi is considered a junior synonym of L. basilis (see remarks under L. basilis ).

Although Brøndsted's type specimen was not examined, the structure of the acanthodiscorhabd and the geographic location strongly suggest that L. spinispiraefera is not a species of L. brevis , but a separate and valid species ( Tables 2, 3) (see also Alvarez et al. 2002).

Figures

FIGURE 7. Worldwide distributions of Latrunculia (Biannulata) species. Distributions of A) Latrunculia spinispiraefera Brøndsted, B) Latrunculia citharistae Vacelet, C) Latrunculia purpurea Carter, D) Latrunculia oparinae Samaai and Krasokhin; E) Latrunculia lunaviridis Samaai and Kelly; F) Latrunculia microacanthoxea Samaai and Kelly; G) Latrunculia kaakaariki Alvarez et al.; H) Latrunculia duckworthi Alvarez et al.; I) Latrunculia procumbens Alvarez et al.; J) Latrunculia wellingtonensis Alvarez et al., 2002; K) Latrunculia kaikoura Alvarez et al.; L) Latrunculia millerae Alvarez et al.; M). Latrunculia austini sp. nov.