Clathrina antofagastensis, Azevedo, Fernanda, Hajdu, Eduardo, Willenz, Philippe & Klautau, Michelle, 2009

Azevedo, Fernanda, Hajdu, Eduardo, Willenz, Philippe & Klautau, Michelle, 2009, New records of Calcareous sponges (Porifera, Calcarea) from the Chilean coast, Zootaxa 2072, pp. 1-30 : 4-5

Clathrina antofagastensis sp. nov.

( Figs. 2 A–D; Table 2)

Type material. IZUA-POR-0114 = MNRJ 9289 (holotype / alcohol). MNRJ 10051 and MNRJ 10052 (paratypes / alcohol).

Type locality. Peninsula Mejillones, Antofagasta, Chile.

Material examined. IZUA-POR-0114 = MNRJ 9289 and MNRJ 10052; Peninsula Mejillones, Antofagasta; collected by E. Hajdu & G. Lôbo-Hajdu; 24 May 2005; -13 to - 15 m. MNRJ 10051; Peninsula Mejillones, Antofagasta; collected by E.H & G.L.H.; 24 may 2005; - 22 to - 24 m.

Material studied for comparison. ZMB 1306, Slides of the lectotype of C. primordialis .

Colour. Light-beige in life and in ethanol.

Etymology. From the type locality.

Description. Specimens are massive, the largest is 20 x 30 x 10 mm ( Fig. 2 A). Cormus is composed of large, irregular and tightly anastomosed tubes ( Fig. 2 B). Water-collecting tubes are not present. The skeleton is composed of two categories of triactines without organisation ( Fig. 2 C).

Spicules ( Table 2). Triactine I [104.1 (±13.3) / 10.5 (±1.7) µm]: Regular (equiangular and equiradiate). Actines are slightly conical to conical, straight and blunt at the tip ( Fig. 2 D).

Triactine II [39.6 (±11.1) / 5.0 (±1.4) µm]: Regular (equiangular and equiradiate) in most cases, although sagittal spicules are also present. These spicules are very small. Actines are conical, straight and blunt at the tip ( Fig. 2 D).

(MNRJ 10051, MNRJ 10052).

Spicule Length (µm) Width (µm) n min mean s max mean s

IZUA-POR-0114 Triactine I 69.3 104.1 13.3 125.4 10.5 1.7 60 Triactine II 23.1 39.6 11.1 59.4 5.0 1.4 30

MNRJ 10051 Triactine I 79.2 100.0 11.6 122.1 10.4 1.4 60 Triactine II 33.0 49.5 7.0 56.1 6.6 0.9 30

MNRJ 10052 Triactine I 75.9 108.8 11.4 125.4 10.8 1.9 60 Triactine II 36.3 42.9 7.2 59.4 6.6 0.8 30

All specimens Triactine I 69.3 104.3 4.4 125.4 10.6 0.2 - Triactine II 23.1 44.0 5.0 59.4 6.1 0.9 - Ecology. Specimens were collected attached to macroalgae Rhodymenia sp.

Remarks. Two species belonging to Clathrina had been previously recognised from Chile: C. primordialis ( Haeckel, 1872) , a species originally reported from Lesina (Adriatic Sea) , cited for Chile by Haeckel (1872) and erroneously cited for tropical Atlantic by Borojevic (1971), Borojevic & Peixinho (1976) and Klautau et al. (1994), and C. coriacea ( Montagu, 1818) , a species originally from South Devon ( England) and cited for Chile by Ridley (1881).

Leucosolenia ( Clathrina ?) dictyoides ( Haeckel, 1872) , a species from Australia, was also cited for Chile by Breitfuss (1898). However, it is not certain that this species is valid. L. dictyoides was described by Haeckel (1872) as a variety of Ascetta primordialis after having been called Leucosolenia dictyoides in Haeckel (1870). In 1885, von Lendenfeld returned the var. dictyoides ( Leucosolenia dictyoides Haeckel, 1870 ) to the specific level as Ascetta dictyoides in his monograph of the Australian sponges. By Haeckel’s description, this species might be a Clathrina , however, it was not included in the revision of the genus Clathrina ( Klautau & Valentine 2003) , because none specimen identified by Haeckel was found. Consequently, as we are not sure about the validity of this species, and as there is not even a good description of it, we will not compare it with Clathrina antofagastensis sp. nov.

Considering all recognised species of Clathrina , the species appearing morphologically closest to C. antofagastensis sp. nov. are C. primordialis and C. clara Klautau & Valentine, 2003 . All 3 species have 2 categories of triactines, however, the tip of the actines in C. primordialis and in C. clara is sharp, while in C. antofagastensis sp. nov. it is blunt. The size of the spicules is also different [ C. antofagastensis sp. nov. triactine I: 104.1 (±13.3) / 10.5 (±1.7) µm, triactine II: 39.6 (±11.1) / 5.0 (±1.4) µm; C. primordialis triactine I: 91.9 (±5.8) / 9.6 (±0.5) µm, triactine II: 86.6 (±11.3) / 11.3 (±0.7) µm; C. clara triactine I: 164.5 (±34.3) / 21.8 (±3.5), triactine II: 84.5 (±8.8) / 9.8 (±0.8) µm ( Klautau & Valentine 2003)]. The organisation of the cormus differs between C. primordialis and C. antofagastensis sp. nov., being loosely anastomosed in the former and tightly anastomosed in the new species. C. clara also differs from C. antofagastensis sp. nov. by the presence of water-collecting tubes in the former. Besides, in C. clara the largest category of triactines is found only on the external tubes. The other Clathrina species cited for Chile, C. coriacea , can be easily distinguished from the new species by the presence of only one category of triactines, and by the tip of the actines, which is mainly rounded in C. coriacea .

Figures

FIGURE 2. External and internal morphology of Clathrina antofagastensis sp. nov.; A—Fixed specimen; B—Detail of the anastomosis of the cormus; C—Section of tube wall; D—Triactine I and Triactine II.