New Genus and species of Heteroxyidae from Brazil (Axinellida: Demospongiae: Porifera), with a revised identification key for the family
Author
Santos, George Garcia
Author
Pinheiro, Ulisses
Author
Hajdu, Eduardo
Author
Soest, Rob Van
text
Zootaxa
2016
4158
1
105
116
journal article
38314
10.11646/zootaxa.4158.1.6
c7cca607-f29d-4b54-9bd3-479da952a9a6
1175-5326
261459
5AC8AC88-0AD2-4D70-AE0B-7FE4770DE159
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).
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.
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)
.
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.
Distribution (
Fig. 1
).
So far known only from the
type
locality, Off Canavieiras (
Bahia
,
Brazil
), at
25–50 m
depth.