Aulospongus cerebella ( Dickinson, 1945 )

Aguilar-Camacho, Jose Maria & Carballo, Jose Luis, 2013, Raspailiidae (Porifera: Demospongiae: Axinellida) from the Mexican Pacific Ocean with the description of seven new species, Journal of Natural History (J. Nat. Hist.) 47 (25 - 28), pp. 1663-1706 : 1675-1678

Aulospongus cerebella ( Dickinson, 1945)

( Figures 1D , 8 , 9 )

Heterectya cerebella Dickinson, 1945:22 .

Aulospongus cerebella Desqueyroux-Faúndez and van Soest, 1997 ; Hooper et al. 1999:654–656.

Material examined

Holotype: L 355667, 09 / 03 / 1936, D-4 Isla Partida Gulf of California ( MEX) 83 m VELERO AHF-559–36 ( Dickinson 1945) . Additional material: LACM, 1941–3; 26 / 02 / 1941, Isla Cedros , Baja California ( MEX) 28 ◦ 5.7 ′ N, 115 ◦ 31.2 ′ W, 117–119 m R / V VELERO III. AHF-1253–41 . 2059-LEB-ICML-UNAM, 11 / 04 / 2011, Station 32 Talud XIV (Gulf of California, MEX) 122 m (27 ◦ 56 ′ 13 ′′ N, 111 ◦ 19 ′ 44 ′′ W).

Description

Tubular sponge from 3 to 8 cm high and 2 cm thick with an apical oscule (6 mm long). Ostia not visible. Surface hispid with spicule projections (600–1200 µm) evenly distributed in the body. Consistency flexible and difficult to tear. Colour in preservation pale beige ( Figure 1D ).

Skeleton

Straight or curved choanosomal styles: 300–720 × 30–45 µm ( Figures 8A , 9A ). Rhabdostyles microspined with prominent spines: 275–470 × 20–35 µm ( Figures 8B, C , 9B ) ( Table 5). The spines are localized on the terminal third of this spicule. The ectosomal skeleton is a dense layer of spongin (100–120 µm thick) with the points of the spicules protruding externally. The choanosomal skeleton has a plumose structure formed by ascending multispicular fibre bundles (100–200 µm thick). The points of the spicules are inside the fibres or protruding externally ( Figure 9C ).

Remarks

Aulospongus cerebella ( Dickinson 1945) is a deep-sea species from the Gulf of California and West Pacific coast of Baja Peninsula. Hooper et al. (1999) considered that the holotype was lost. However, the type material was found in the Allan Hancock Collection .

Figures

Figure 1. Photographs of preserved sponges from this study. (A) Raspailia (Parasyringella) rubra sp. nov. (B) Raspailia (Raspaxilla) hymani (Dickinson 1945). (C) Raspailia (Raspaxilla) hyle (de Laubenfels 1930). (D) Aulospongus cerebella (Dickinson 1945). (E) Aulospongus californianus sp. nov. (F) Aulospongus aurantiacus sp. nov. Scale bars: 1 cm (A, D, F); 2 cm (C, E); 4 cm (B).

Figure 8. Aulospongus cerebella (Dickinson 1945). Scanning electron microscopy images of spicules. (A) Choanosomal style; (B) rhabdostyle microspined thick; (C) rhabdostyle microspined thin. Scale bars: 90 µm (A), 100 µm (B, C).

Figure 9. Drawings of Aulospongus cerebella (Dickinson 1945). (A) Choanosomal style; (B) rhabdostyle microspined; (C) choanosomal skeleton (ascending fibre bundles). Scale bars: 45 µm (A, B), 120 µm (C).