Oceanapia hechteli, Neto & Nascimento & Cavalcanti & Pinheiro, 2018

Neto, Carlos Santos, Nascimento, Elielton, Cavalcanti, Thaynã & Pinheiro, Ulisses, 2018, Taxonomy of Oceanapia Norman, 1869 (Demospongiae: Haplosclerida: Phloeodictyidae) from the Brazilian coast, Zootaxa 4455 (2), pp. 363-376 : 365-366

Oceanapia hechteli nom. nov.

Figure 2 , Table 1

Adocia sp. Hechtel, 1976: p. 240 (Pernambuco State, Brazil).

Rhizochalina nodulosa Hechtel, 1983 : p. 65, fig. 5–6 (Pernambuco State, Brazil).

Oceanapia nodulosa ; Santos et al. 2002: p. 396 (Pernambuco State, Brazil); Muricy et al. 2011: p. 109.

Not Oceanapia nodulosa ( Topsent, 1928) (a valid species).

Material examined: UFPEPOR 3172, off Recife Municipality (08°06’02’’S 34°42’07’’W), Pernambuco State, Brazil, depth 30 m, dredge, st. 129, Recife expedition, 5 April 1967.

Comparative material: YPM 5705 (Holotype), Recife , Pernambuco State, Brazil, depth 27 m, det. Hechtel (1983) (Photographs of the specimen, choanosome and spicules).

External morphology ( Fig. 2A ). Semispherical sponge, 9.3 x 6.2 cm (length x width). The specimen has nine fistulae, about 0.2–0.6 x 0.2–0.5 cm (length x width), distributed throughout the specimen. The surface is rough and hispid; firm consistency and circular oscules present at the top of the fistulae. Colour when preserved (ethanol 80%) is reddish brown, colour in life is unknown.

Skeleton ( Fig. 2B ). Ectosoma multilayered compact crust of tangential spicules, with multispicular fiber bundles (69– 83.3 –102 µm, diameter). Cross-linked choanosomal skeleton with multispicular tracts (81– 107.7 –125 µm) forming well-defined circular meshes (125– 383.7 –625 µm).

Spicules ( Fig. 2C ). Oxeas (174– 210.1 –232 / 6– 6.9 –8 µm): curved, smooth, robust and with telescopic tips. Raphidiform oxeas (97 –162.1– 230 / 2.6 µm): smooth, smaller and thinner.

Distribution and ecology. Endemic from Pernambuco State, Brazil ( Hechtel 1976; 1983; Santos et al. 2002; Muricy et al. 2011) ( Fig. 1 ). This specimen was found over calcareous algae.

Etymology. Named after George Hechtel, the authority who designed Rhizochalina nodulosa Hechtel, 1983 .

Remarks. Hechtel (1983) described the species from a single specimen, the holotype (YPM 5705), collected in Pernambuco State. We found a topotype specimen (UFPEPOR 3172), described herein. This specimen and the holotype have very similar features; both have a semispherical body with small fragmented fistulae. Their spicule complement of oxeas and its dimensions are similar (see Table 1).

About the homonymy Oceanapia nodulosa, Topsent (1928) described from the Azores a new species, Phloeodictyon nodulosum . Hechtel (1983) described the new species Rhizochalina nodulosa without observing that Van Soest (1980) had already proposed the genus Rhizochalina and Phloeodictyon as synonyms of Oceanapia . According to the International Code of Zoological Name ( ICZN 1999: 52.2) the name Oceanapia nodulosa ( Hechtel, 1983) should be rejected. Oceanapia hechteli nom. nov. is herein proposed as a replacement for Oceanapia nodulosa ( Hechtel, 1983) homonym of Oceanapia nodulosa ( Topsent, 1928) .

......continued on the next page References: (1) Hechtel (1983); (2) Topsent (1928); (3) Wiedenmayer (1977); (4) De Laubenfels (1934); (5) Lehnert & Van Soest (1999); (6) Campos et al. (2005); (7) Topsent (1904); (8) Schmidt (1870); (9) Van Soest (2017); (10) Lévi (1969); (11) De Weerdt & Van Soest (1986); (12) Topsent (1892); (13) Schmidt (1880); (14) Carter (1882); (15) George & Wilson (1919); (16) Zea (1987); (17) Van Soest & Sass (1981); (18) Bowerbank (1866).

Figures

FIGURE 1. Location of study area and collection sites of species of Oceanapia, (1) Oceanapia hechteli nom. nov. (Pernambuco State); (2) Oceanapia cordia sp. nov. and (3) Oceanapia magna sp. nov. (Rio Grande do Norte State); (4) Oceanapia stalagmitica (Wiedenmayer, 1977) (Pará State). Abbreviations for States are: AP = Amapá; BA = Bahia; CE = Ceará; MA = Maranhão; MT = Mato Grosso; PA = Pará; PB = Paraíba; PE = Pernambuco; PI = Piauí; RN = Rio Grande do Norte; TO = Tocantins.

FIGURE 2. Oceanapia hechteli nom nov. (UFPEPOR 3172). A, preserved specimen; B, thick section showing ectosome and choanosome; C, oxeas. Scale bars: A = 3 cm; B = 1000 µm; C = 50 µm.