Cyamon agnani ( Boury-Esnault, 1973 )

Ozga, Aline Vasum & Menegola, Carla, 2023, Hidden treasures of Camamu Bay, Bahia, Brazil: New records and two new species of Raspailiidae (Porifera, Demospongiae), Zootaxa 5375 (4), pp. 515-532 : 517-520

Cyamon agnani ( Boury-Esnault, 1973)

( Fig. 2 , Table 1 )

Hymeraphia sp. ; Carter 1876: 391; Higgin 1877: 296, pl. 14 Fig. 9 ( Grenada)

Microciona quadriradiata Carter, 1880: 42 (in part, only that illustrated in

Higgin 1877).

Trikentrion wickersi (sic); Topsent 1889: 4, Fig. 2A (Campeche Bank, Gulf of Mexico);

Topsent 1894: 35 (corrected to T. vickersi ).

Cyamon vickersi ; Laubenfels 1936: 80 (Florida); Little 1963: 48 (Gulf of Mexico);

Mothes et al. 2004: 6 ( Brazil).

Cyamon vickersi var. toxifera Arndt 1927: 149 , pl. 2 Fig. 9, text figure 10 ( Curaçao)

= mixture of C. agnani and Clathria (Microciona) ferrea ( Laubenfels, 1936 as

Fisherispongia ).

Cyamon toxifera ; Laubenfels 1936: 80.

Timea agnani Boury-Esnault 1973: 276 , Fig. 24 (N.E. Brazil).

Cyamon agnani sensu Van Soest et al. 2012: 21 , Figs 7A–D , 8A–F (N.E. Brazil).

Material examined. UFBA 2724-POR , Camamu Bay , 13º56’19”S 39º05’06”W, Bahia State, Brazil, 4.1 m depth, Coll. M. C. Guerrazzi, 24.IV.2004; UFBA 3169-POR , Camamu Bay , 13º55’24”S 39º02’13”W, Bahia State, Brazil, 4.7 m depth, Coll. M. C. Guerrazzi, 31.X.2004; MNRJ 1532 . Pernambuco State, Tamandaré, Praia de Ponta dos Carneiros , 0.5–2.0 m depth, Coll. E. Hajdu & G. Muricy ; UFBA 1127-POR . Bahia State, Madre de Deus, Ponta do Suape , 12º44’00”S 38º37’00”W, intertidal, Coll. and Det. Solange Peixinho, 02.VI.1992; UFBA 736-POR . Bahia State, Salvador, Ribeira , 12º57’00”S 38º30’00”W, intertidal, Coll. and Det. Solange Peixinho, 17.IX.1986; UFBA 485-POR , Bahia State, Salvador, Ponta do Criminoso , 12º48’18”S 38º31’10”W, intertidal, Coll. and Det. Solange Peixinho, 04.XI.1983 .

Additional material. BRAZIL. UFBA 1430-POR . Bahia State, Madre de Deus, Ponta do Suape , 12º43’54”S 38º37’30”W, intertidal, Coll. Celso Rodrigues, Det. Solange Peixinho, 25.V.1994 ; UFBA 752-POR . Bahia State, Salvador, Ribeira , 12º57’00”S 38º30’00”W, intertidal, Coll. and Det. Solange Peixinho, 15.X.1986 .

Description. Sponge with dimensions (5 x 3 mm (length x width)—largest specimen), massive, which can vary from lamellar, conulose with a hispid surface (mainly at the ends of the conules). Soft consistency, can easily break apart. External coloration, in situ, varies from orange to greenish. When preserved, dark brown externally, and varies internally from light brown (specimens UFBA 3169 and 2724-POR) to very dark brown towards the surface (seen only in UFBA 2724-POR) ( Fig. 2A ). Oscules and pores not visible.

Skeleton. Consisting of a basal grouping of polyactines. Ectosome specializations absent with dense spongin fibers. Basal fibers centered by plumose, multispicular, bundles of styles. With long and thin extra-axial styles, bases of which are attached to the choanosome fibers with the ends protruding through the surface. Extra-axial spicules also scattered across the choanosome. Fibers very well-packed with polyactines ( Fig. 2B ), producing an almost rigid, closed and darkened secondary skeleton.

Spicules. Three kinds of styles and two kinds of polyactines ( Fig. 2 ; Table 1 ).

Styles I ( Fig. 2C and D )—Long, thin and smooth, varying from straight to slightly curved: 1050–1684.6–2410/ 5–13.0–23 µm. Styles III ( Fig. 2E and F )—Short, thick and smooth, curving from the midline towards the upper ends. Common: 450–542.3–660/ 19–23.8–30 µm. Styles IV ( Fig. 2G and H )—Short and thick, smooth and curved from central to basal portions. The end can vary from conical to telescopic. Common: 399–494.8–620/ 4–5.7–8 µm. Polyactines I ( Fig. 2I and J )—Three to four rays, approximately equal, pointed and smooth (juveniles). Spined rays (totally or from the middle region increasing in numbers towards the apex). Grown spicules spined, growing spicules are smooth. Basal cladi (40–54.1–65/7–10–12 µm) and lateral cladi (37.5–49.4–67.5/7.5–10.1–15.5 µm). Polyactines II ( Fig. 2K )—Four clades with an elongated basal cladi, all tapering towards the tip. Center with irregularly scattered rounded projections, which can also be found along the rays. Elongate basal cladi (42.5–50.3– 57.5/ 2.5–3.5–5 µm) and short lateral cladi (12.5–18.3–27.5/ 2.5–2.8–5 µm).

Ecology. The sponge accumulates shells and bio detritus on the body.

Distribution. Greater Caribbean (as C. vickersii )—West Indies: Gulf of Mexico, South Carolina, ( Bowerbank, 1864; Hooper, 2002 d). Bermuda ( Laubenfels, 1950 a), Cuba ( Alcolado, 2002). Brazil, Northeast Region, Bahia State, Camamu Bay (present study); Southeast Region: Espírito Santo state, off Marataízes ( Boury-Esnault, 1973).

Remarks. The specimen (UFBA 2724-POR) was epibiotic with Mycale (Aegogropila) americana Van Soest, 1984 . Sponge color permitted partial identification, but the association was confirmed by the dissociated spicule slides and thick sections of skeleton architecture. The samples UFBA 1430-POR and UFBA 752-POR, despite not having been included in the morphometric comparative table, are both conspecific with C. agnani after morphological study of samples and slides of skeleton architecture and spicules. Studied C. agnani specimens ( Table 1 ) are similar to C. vickersii originally described by Bowerbank (1864) for the West Indies as Dictyocylindrus vickersii , in terms of encrusting to massive sponges with a rough surface. Contrary to most other authors referring to C. vickersii, Van Soest et al. (2012) showed that this species is endemic to the Indian Ocean and does not occur in the Western Atlantic. They demonstrated evidence including the uncertainty of the origin of the type specimen and the different descriptions of the species over time for the West Indies and Atlantic Ocean. The sample assembly here studied fits with C. agnani in terms of external and internal characters.

A remarkable variation in the young and smooth form of polyactine was pointed out by Van Soest et al. (2012) between the holotype of C. agnani described for Brazil (Espirito Santo state) and the specimen from Colombia (Santa Marta region). We here consider a second category of polyactine for this young, smooth form with a larger clade (also found in Cyamon pedroalcoladoi sp. nov.). Regarding comparative material (MNRJ and MHNBA) the specimens described here have few variations in measurements of the spicules ( Table 1 ) and colour. It is worth highlighting, however, an additional variation regarding the form of polyactines I in the samples of C. agnani examined by Van Soest et al. (2012) and those considered in the present study: although all contain spines along the clades, in the specimens from Brazil (holotype and additional materials) the cladi are robust, but with endings that are always discreetly tapered, culminating in sharp or slightly rounded points; while the specimen from Colombia has well-developed apical tyles. For now, the specimens from Colombia and Brazil are considered conspecific with C. agnani , since to elucidate the status of all these samples a broad review including also the molecular approach of type and additional samples is recommended.

Figures

FIGURE 2. Cyamon agnani (Boury-Esnault, 1973) (UFBA 2724-POR). (A) preserved specimen; (B) skeleton architecture; (C) style I; (D) detail of the extremities of style I; (E) style III; (F) detail of the extremities of style III; (G) style IV; (H) base of style IV; (I) (J) polyactine I; (K) polyactine II. Scales: A= 1 cm; B= 200 µm; C= 100 µm; D = 13 µm; E = 70 µm; F = 10 µm; G = 40 µm; H = 15 µm; I, J = 14 µm, K = 20 µm.

FIGURE 7. Thrinacophora melae sp. nov. (MZUSP 479). (A) strongyle; (B) (C) (D) strongyle end details; (E) style I; (F) (G) style I end details; (H) style II; (I) (J) style II end details; (K) style III; (L) style III end detail; (M) raphide; (N) basal end of raphides. Scales: A = 20 µm; B, C, D, E = 10 µm; F, G = 3 µm; H = 20 µm; I = 2 µm; J = 3 µm; K = 10 µm; L = 3 µm; M = 10 µm; N = 3 µm.