Craniella lissi, Sim-Smith & Hickman & Kelly, 2021

Sim-Smith, Carina, Hickman, Cleveland & Kelly, Michelle, 2021, New shallow-water sponges (Porifera) from the Galápagos Islands, Zootaxa 5012 (1), pp. 1-71 : 40

Craniella lissi sp. nov.

( Fig. 18 )

Material examined. Holotype — MCCDRS9409, Las Marielas , Isabela Island, 0.597° S, 91.092° W, 15 m, 2 Dec 2004.

Type locality. Las Marielas , Isabela Island .

Habitat and distribution. Only known from type locality. Found buried in soft, sandy sediment, only upper half of sponge visible; 15 m.

Description. Small egg-shaped sponge with a root/beard of spicule strands, 17 mm long × 10 mm in diameter. A small oscule, around 1 mm in diameter, is present on the apex of the sponge ( Fig. 18A ). Colour in life unknown, colour in alcohol is beige, texture is compressible, surface is smooth.

Skeleton. Ectosome is well-defined, 350–400 µm deep, and comprises radial brushes of oxeas and protriaenes of two size categories, which protrude beyond the surface of the sponge ( Fig. 18B–C ). Anisoxeas are the most common megasclere. Protrianes II are more common than protriaenes I. Megascleres are sparse in the choanosome, radiating out in tracts. Sigmaspires are sparsely scattered throughout the sponge.

Spicules. Megascleres— Oxeas, straight with gradually tapering tips; 1440 (1062–1721) × 19 (12–26) µm (n = 20) ( Fig. 18C ). Anisoxeas, slightly asymmetrical with one wider end that gradually tapers away; 694 (513–851) × 8 (4–14) µm (n = 20). Protriaenes I, with a narrow, U-shaped cladome that has 2–3 clads; 1766 (1743–1789) µm long (n = 3); cladome width 36 (18–48) µm (n = 8) ( Fig. 18F ). Protriaenes II, very fine with long wispy, curved clads; 485 (202–878) µm long (n = 20); cladome width 43 (16–81) µm (n = 20) ( Fig. 18G ). Anatriaenes, 2521 (1558–5046) µm long (n = 6); cladome width 36 (26–55) µm (n = 20) ( Fig. 18E ). Microscleres— sigmaspires, 12 (8–15) µm long (n = 20) ( Fig. 18H ).

Etymology. Named for co-author Cleveland Hickman’s son-in-law Frederic Liss MD, who accompanied Cleve on numerous dive trips and was supportive in the development of the Galápagos Marine Life Series of field guides.

Remarks. Only one species of Craniella has been described from the Galápagos Islands: C. wolfi, Schuster, 2018 , but that species possesses unusual worm-like sigmaspires. Craniella arb ( De Laubenfels, 1930) from California possesses oxeas that are much longer (2000–3000 µm) than those of C. lissi sp. nov.

Order Agelasida Hartman

Figures

FIGURE 18. Craniella lissi sp. nov. holotype, MCCDRS9409: A. Preserved specimen. B. Cross section showing the radial brushes of megascleres in the ectosome. C. Cross section of the ectosome showing the protriaenes and oxeas protruding the surface. D. Oxea. E. Anatriaene. F. Protriaene I. G. Protriaene II. H. Sigmaspires.