Latrunculia (Latrunculia) verenae Hajdu, Desqueyroux-Faúndez, Carvalho, Lôbo-Hajdu and Willenz, 2013

Hajdu, Eduardo, Desqueyroux-Faúndez, Ruth, Carvalho, Mariana De Souza, Lôbo-Hajdu, Gisele & Willenz, Philippe, 2013, Twelve new Demospongiae (Porifera) from Chilean fjords, with remarks upon sponge-derived biogeographic compartments in the SE Pacific, Zootaxa 3744 (1), pp. 1-64 : 36-37

Latrunculia (Latrunculia) verenae Hajdu, Desqueyroux-Faúndez, Carvalho, Lôbo-Hajdu and Willenz sp. nov.

( Figs. 6C , 7C , 8 AM–BD, 9C; Tab 6 )

Latrunculia lendenfeldi Hentschel, 1914 ; sensu Desqueyroux, 1976: 100, in part (non sensu Hentschel, 1914: 44; = L. (L.) basalis Kirkpatrick, 1908 )

Type material. Holotype. IZUA-POR 146, Reñihué Fjord (42°32’46.26”S – 72°32’06.30”W, Chilean Patagonia ), 29 m depth, coll. Ph. Willenz and E. Hajdu, 25 May 2007 —fragments from the holotype in MNRJ 10843 , MHNG 62840 and RBINSc-IG 32235-POR 10843 . Paratypes. MNRJ 10914 , Raul Marin , Pitipalena Fjord (43°45’53.22”S – 72°53’43.62”W, Chilean Patagonia), 30 m depth, coll. G. Försterra (sample 1475), 09 March 2007 —fragments from the paratype in MHNG 82686 and RBINSc-IG 32236-POR.10914. MNRJ 10942 , Pitipalena Fjord (43°45.887’S – 072°53.727’W, Chilean Patagonia), 28 m depth, Coll. N. Reiff (sample 1082), 09 March 2007 —fragments from the paratype in MHNG 82687 and RBINSc-IG 32236-POR 10942 .

Additional material ( L. lendenfeldi sensu Desqueyroux, 1976 , in part; = L. verenae sp. nov.) MHNG 62580 , Compu (approx. 42°51’57’’S – 73°43’9’’ W, Chiloe ).

Diagnosis. Latrunculia (L.) verenae sp. nov. is the only species of Latrunculia (L.) in the Magellanic region with dull greenish live-colour, round pore fields on top of densely arranged papillae, a single category of acanthostyles (pauciacanthose styles), anisodiscorhabds with 3 or more spine whorls, and sanidaster-like anisodiscorhabds as microscleres.

Description ( Fig. 6C ). Globular sponge (5.1 cm in maximum diameter), with conspicuous, regularly distributed, slightly elevated (2–3 mm), round inhalant papillae, with flat, slightly expanded apical pore-bearing surfaces (1.8–6.1 mm in diameter). Excurrent papillae, much less common, are composed of a cylindrical membrane with an apical osculum (up to 10 mm in diameter). Consistency is firm and rubbery. Live-colour is dullgreen, becoming brown or dark brown in ethanol. The holotype is now markedly shrunk, with 3.5 cm in maximum diameter, the papillae collapsed and folded onto the sponge surface, which appears rather lacunose and cerebriform.

Skeleton ( Fig. 7C ). Ectosome in two layers, an external single layer palisade of mostly erect anisodiscorhabds and sanidaster-like anisodiscorhabds frequently piercing the surface, and a dense basal layer (ca. 250 µm thick) of megascleres, more longitudinally oriented in the ectosomal skeleton of the papillae, and more criss-crossed in the ectosome of the main sponge body. The apical portion of longitudinally compressed papillae (possibly exhalant) is abundantly pierced by megascleres, and has apparently no microscleres. The inhalant papillae have apical cribriporal areas with individual pores 35–90 µm in diameter. Choanosome markedly cavernous, with a loose reticulation of megasclere tracts (70–100 µm thick) fanning out towards the surface in some places. No specialised skeleton is seen around the many channels and lacunae.

Spicules ( Figs. 8 AM–BD, 9C). Megascleres. Acanthostyles ( Figs. 8 BA–BD), straight, slightly curved or sinuous, isodiametric, variably sharp apices, occasionally slightly polytylote closer to the apex, pauciacanthose, with short conical spines, generally slightly slanted towards the centre of the spicule; 311–400 µm long and 5–12 µm thick. A few bent or even crooked oxeotes (N=6, 420–500 µm long, 7.5–10 µm thick) were found in one of the paratypes ( MNRJ 10914 ) amidst hundreds of acanthostyles, and interpreted as malformations of the latter. Microscleres. Anisodiscorhabds ( Figs. 8 AM–AZ, 9C): manubrium with thorns that are mostly smooth and sharp, but notably less prominent than observed in both preceding species; shaft frequently bearing isolated thorns of various dimensions; basal whorl more commonly made of isolated thorns, but these may coalesce basally forming one ( Fig. 8 AZ) or two incipient plates ( Fig. 8 AN, AT, 9C), or two unmarried half plates ( Fig. 8 AY); median whorl composed of partially ( Figs. 8 AM, AO–AQ) to well formed plates ( Figs. 8 AT–AU, AZ, 9C), with thorns emerging from the external third of the disk, frequently with secondary spines—in aberrant forms ( Figs. 8 AR– AS) the median whorl does not represent the thickest sector of the microsclere; subsidiary whorl, sometimes adjacent ( Fig. 8 AN) or even indistinguishable ( Fig. 8 AQ) from apical one, with large variably clustered thorns usually markedly bent towards the apex; apical whorl with thorns incised variably deep, often with secondary spination and an external denticulation; 38–50 µm long and 14–33 µm across, shaft 4–7 µm wide. Isolated thorns of relatively varied morphology may occur anywhere on the shaft of the anisodiscorhabds of the holotype, which coupled to the incipiency of some whorls may render a sanidaster appearance to the microsclere ( Fig. 8 AP–AQ, AS), but not to the stage of permitting recognition of a second category of microscleres.

Distribution and ecology. The species is this far known only from a narrow latitudinal stretch on the northern sector of the Chilean fjords region (ca. 42°33’– 42°45’S), from depths of 28– 30 m. The species occurred in high diversity assemblages, albeit the considerable sedimentation observed from in situ pictures taken at Pitipalena Fjord (Försterra & Reiff, pers. comm.). In Reñihué it is surrounded by diverse organisms such as other sponges, cnidarians, bryozoa, cirripeds, bivalves

Etymology. “Verenae” honours Dr. Verena Häussermann, Scientific Director of the Huinay Scientific Field Station, for her outstanding contribution towards our knowledge of Chilean fjords’ biota, as well as her friendly welcome in our several visits to the field station.

Figures

FIGURE 6. In situ photographs of Latrunculia ciruela sp. nov. (A, IZUA-POR 145, holotype), Latrunculia copihuensis sp. nov. (B, RBINSc-IG 32233-POR 9915, holotype), Latrunculia verenae sp. nov. (C, IZUA-POR 146, holotype), Latrunculia yepayek sp. nov. (D, RBINSc-IG 32233-POR 9940, holotype), Clathria mytilifila sp. nov. (E, MNRJ 8198, holotype), Neopodospongia tupecomareni sp. nov. (F, MNRJ 10787, paratype), and Myxilla araucana sp. nov. (G, MNRJ 8220, holotype). Scale bars: A–D, 5 cm; E–G, 2 cm.

FIGURE 7. Skeletal architectures in transverse sections of Latrunculia ciruela sp. nov. (A, IZUA-POR 145, holotype), Latrunculia copihuensis sp. nov. (B, RBINSc-IG 32233-POR 9915, holotype), Latrunculia verenae sp. nov. (C, IZUA-POR 146, holotype), and Latrunculia yepayek sp. nov. (D, RBINSc-IG 32233-POR 9940, holotype). Scale bars: A–D, 500 µm.

FIGURE 8. Latrunculia ciruela sp. nov. (A–R): A–N, anisodiscorhabds; O, (subtylo)style; P, oxea; Q–R, details of oxeas. Holotype (IZUA-POR 145): F, J. Paratypes: MNRJ 9186, M–N; MNRJ 10811, G, P–R; MNRJ 10844, C, E; MNRJ 10849, K; MNRJ 10855, D, I, O; MNRJ 10861, A, L; MNRJ 10921, H; MNRJ 12928, B. Latrunculia copihuensis sp. nov. (S–AL, RBINSc-IG 32233-POR 9915, holotype): S–AF, anisodiscorhabds; AG–AH, oxeas; AJ–AL, details of (subtylo)styles. Latrunculia verenae sp. nov. (AM–BD, type series): AM–AZ, anisodiscorhabds; BA–BB, acanthostyles; BC–BD, details of acanthostyles. Holotype (IZUA-POR 146): AM–AS, BA. Paratypes: MNRJ 10914, AT–AV; MNRJ 10942, AW–AZ, BB–BD. Latrunculia yepayek sp. nov. (BE–BW, RBINSc-IG 32233-POR 9940, holotype): BE–BR, anisodiscorhabds; BS–BU, styles; BV–BW, details of styles. Scale bars: A–N, Q–AF, AJ–AZ, BE–BR, 10 µm; O–P, AG–AI, BA–BB, BS–BW, 100 µm; BC–BD, BU–BV, 25 µm.