Alveospongia sinuosclera, Santos, George Garcia, Pinheiro, Ulisses, Hajdu, Eduardo & Soest, Rob Van, 2016

Santos, George Garcia, Pinheiro, Ulisses, Hajdu, Eduardo & Soest, Rob Van, 2016, New Genus and species of Heteroxyidae from Brazil (Axinellida: Demospongiae: Porifera), with a revised identification key for the family, Zootaxa 4158 (1), pp. 105-116 : 108-112

Alveospongia sinuosclera sp. nov.

( Figure 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 F; Table 1)

Material examined. Holotype: UFPEPOR 1597, Off Canavieiras city (15°35’5.91” S, 38°46’36.35” W), Bahia State, Brazil, 25–50 m depth, VII.2011 . Paratype: UFPEPOR 1625 (same locality).

Etymology. The specific epithet “ sinuosclera ” is used as a noun in apposition, and refers to the sinuous acanthomicrostrongyles present in the new species.

Diagnosis. As for the genus.

Description of type material. The holotype ( Fig. 2 A–D) is a saccular sponge, 30 x 15 x 1.1 mm (height x length x wall thickness), bearing scattered circular pseudoscular openings flush with surface (1–2 mm in diameter, Fig. 2 A–B). Microhispid surface. Body easily compressible and resilient. Color beige (ethanol 96 %). The paratype is an alveolate sponge, 39 x 17 x 1.1 mm (height x length x wall thickness), microhispid surface, easily compressible and resilient. Color beige (ethanol 96 %).

Skeleton ( Fig. 3 A–B). The ectosomal architecture is a layer of mostly tangentially placed, confusedly strewn megascleres, with some of the larger spicules protruding beyond the surface. The choanosomal skeleton exhibits a vague reticulation produced by loose multispicular tracts with no trace of spongin, intermingled with dispersed single styles/strongyles. A few canals or lacunae (120–590 µm in diameter) are also visible. Microscleres are distributed all over, but are not very common.

Spicules ( Fig. 3–4 ). Megascleres ( Fig. 3 C–Q; 4A–B): styles to strongyles and intermediate forms, smooth, usually straight, with a fairly high percentage (~90 %) of malformations, in which one end of the spicule may be looped (Holotype: 241– 342.9 –411 / 4.7– 7.2 –10.7 µm; Paratype: 229– 323.2 –363 / 5.7– 8.1 –9.7 µm). Microscleres ( Fig. 4 C–E): sinuous, thin, acanthomicrostrongyles, sometimes ramified and curved (Holotype: 69– 83.0 –105 / 1.9– 2.0 –2.3 µm; Paratype: 59– 85.8 –112 / 1.8– 2.1 –2.3 µm).

TABLE I. Main morphological characters of Alveospongia gen. nov. contrasteđ to those of ađđitional genera currently classifieđ within the Heteroxyiđae accorđing to van Soest et al. (2016).

References are numbeređ in parentheses anđ listeđ at the foot of the table.

Genus Alveospongia Acanthoclada Alloscleria Desmoxya Didiscus Heteroxya Julavis Microxistyla Myrmekioderma Negombo Parahigginsia gen. nov.

Growth form saccular or thickly small encrusting or massive- thickly thickly encrusting- massive or massive fistular erect, lamellate alveolate encrusting calcareous massive amorphous to encrusting encrusting massive encrusting anđ lobate

bođy lobate

Ectosomal layer of đense cortex of n.r. formeđ by thick, tough perpenđicu- smaller erect, plumose without specialiseđ tangential surface containing only

skeleton tangentially birrotules acanthoxe-as crust lar palisađe spineđ bunđles of spiculation although layer of spongin anđ placeđ composeđ of of smaller strongyles smooth smaller (acanth- saniđaster-like scatteređ megascleres smaller oxeas acanthoxe-as lying microxeas)oxeas protruđe from acanthose acanthoxeas lying strewn in tangential to forming nearly subectosomal region microrhabđs tangential to confusion surface continuous surface palisađe on

surface

Choanosomal vague lax, composeđ parallel tracts vaguely confuseđ confuseđ halichon- confuseđ collagenous, halichonđroiđ conđenseđ axial

skeleton reticulation in of ascenđing of styles plumo- rađial tracts arrange-ment đroiđ halichonđroiđ confuseđ tracts of large reticulation of all đirections tracts of long forming a reticulate of generally of spicules reticulation reticulation of halichonđroiđ mass styles anđ/or oxeas forming smooth styles halichonđro-iđ larger oxeas anđ vague smooth robust of larger oxeas irregular isotropic skeleton reticulation styles without choanosomal tracts fibres megascleres

(acanthoxeas, oxeas, strongyles, styles)

Megascleres styles/strongy- smooth styles, smooth styles / strongylote oxeas smooth or vermiform styles two đistinct smooth styles anđ smooth oxeas of a les (with varieđ rhabđostyles strongyles or oxeote anđ spineđ acanthose categories of oxeas oxeas single category tips) acanthoxea hastate strongyles, (acanthose),

oxeas/tor- anđ longer strongyles, or more notes, anđ smooth rarely styles

acanthoxe-as strongyles/

styles

Microscleres sinuous acanthose centrotylote raphiđes điscorhabđ- absent raphiđes acanthomi- raphiđes acanthose acanthose acanthomi- clađotoxas anđ acanthoxeas like croxeas microrhabđs microxeas crostrongyles birotules (saniđasters)

Distribution Bahia State New Zealanđ France (2) Australia (3) Brazil, North Tuvalu, NE Atlantic Wiđely đistributeđ Japan, Sri Lanka, known only from ( Brazil) (1) Caribean, Atlantic (1) central anđ Sea of in shallow tropical Tanzania (1) New Zealanđ (1)

Međiterra- Pacific, anđ Okhotsk (1) anđ subtropical

nean, NE Jamaica (1) oceans (1)

Atlantic, W

Inđian

Ocean,

Inđonesia (1)

References: (1) Hooper (2002); (2) Topsent (1927); (3) Hallmann (1917).

Distribution ( Fig. 1 ). So far known only from the type locality, Off Canavieiras (Bahia, Brazil), at 25–50 m depth.

Figures

FIGURE 1. Map indicating in detail the type locality of Alveospongia sinuosclera sp. nov. White circle and arrow indicate position of the new species.

FIGURE 2. Alveospongia sinuosclera sp. nov. (UFPEPOR 1597, holotype). A – B, preserved specimen and upper surface; C, lower region; D, photographed from underneat to show the large inner cavity. Scale bars: A: 1.5 cm; B: 4 mm; C: 1.5 cm; D: 1 cm.

FIGURE 3. Megascleres and thin section of Alveospongia sinuosclera sp. nov. (UFPEPOR 1597, holotype). A – B, details of two thin sections; C – Q, details of various styles / strongyloids (head and ends). Scale bars: A: 450 µm; B: 500 µm; C – L: 8 µm; M – Q: 10 µm.

FIGURE 4. Spicule composition of Alveospongia sinuosclera sp. nov. (UFPEPOR 1597, holotype) in SEM. A, various styles / strongyloids; B, details of the head and end of styles / strongyloids; C, two acanthomicrostrongyles; D, details of ends of acanthomicrostrongyles; E, detail of surface of acanthomicrostrongyles showing microspination. Scale bars: A: 100 µm; A’: 50 µm; B: 10 µm; C: 30 µm; D – E: 4 µm.

FIGURE 5. Comparative display of the spicules of other demosponge and of Alveospongia gen. nov. A, spicules of Crella (Pytheas) ula (redrawn from de Laubenfels, 1950); B, Sceptrintus - like spicules (from Lukowiak 2015); C, sanidasters of recent Sceptrintus richardi (redrawn from Topsent 1904); D, verticillate acanthostrongyles of Goreauiella auriculata Hartman, 1969 (from Rützler et al., 2014); E, looped and regular spicules of Batzella rosea van Soest, 1984 (redrawn from van Soest et al., 2016); F, acanthomicrostrongyles of Alveospongia sinuosclera sp. nov. (holotype). Scale bars: A: 50 µm; B – C: 100 µm; D – E: 50 µm; F: 30 µm.