New Latrunculiidae (Demospongiae, Poecilosclerida) from the Agulhas ecoregion of temperate southern Africa
Samaai, Toufiek
Kelly, Michelle
Ngwakum, Benedicta
Payne, Robyn
Teske, Peter R.
Janson, Liesl
Kerwath, Sven
Parker, Denham
Gibbons, Mark J.
Zootaxa
2020
2020-12-22
4896
3
409
442
86WT6
Samaai, Kelly, Payne
Samaai, Kelly, Payne
[151,763,976,1003]
Demospongiae
Latrunculiidae
Cyclacanthia
Animalia
Poecilosclerida
26
435
Porifera
species
rethahofmeyri
( Fig. 15B, Tables 6, 7)
Material examined. HolotypeSAMC-A090895, Amathole region Stn3872, Eastern Cape, 32.950° S, 28.066° E, 40.5 m, RV Ellen Khuzwayo, collected by R. Payne, dredge, 31 Aug 2016. Paratypes.SAMC-A090896, Amathole region Stn3737, Eastern Cape, 32.751° S, 28,415° E, 31 m, RV Ellen Khuzwayo, collected by R. Payne, dredge, 23 Feb 2016; SAMC-A090897, SAMC-A090898, SAMC-A090899, Amathole region Stn3832, Eastern Cape, 32.759° S, 28.410° E, 45 m, RV Ellen Khuzwayo, collected by R. Payne, dredge, 27 Aug 2016. Typelocality. Amathole region, off East London, Eastern Cape.
Distribution.Amathole region, off East London, 40.5 m.
Description.Shape varies from either flattened low lying hemispherical (flattened), ranging from 24 mmlong by 24 mmwide by 6 mmthick to hemispherical sponges, 13 mmlong by 34 mmwide by 27 mmthick ( Fig. 15D). Surface undulating but smooth, with volcano-shaped oscules, 5 mmhigh by 3 mmwide at base, 1 mmat apex being closely packed ( 5mmapart), and a few nodular truncate areolate porefields, 3 mmhigh by 3 mmwide, with no poral membrane covering the opening. Texture firm, rubbery and tough. Medium to barely compressible, difficult to tear or break. Colour in life either black, dark green/black or dark brown; in preservative dark green ( Fig. 15D). Green exudate visible, no smell. Skeleton.The choanosomal skeleton forms an irregular polygonal reticulation formed by wispy tracts of smooth styles ( Fig. 15H). The tracts range in width from 85 –150 μm in thickness, and form meshes that are 195 μm wide. Within the inner choanosome, tracts diverge towards the surface and are 172–205 μm wide. Interstitial spicules are abundant. The ectosome has a palisade of densely packed interlocking anisodiscorhabds, which are absent from the surface structures. The paratangential layer beneath the palisade is approximately 320 μm deep, and this extends into the oscular fistules. Spicules.Megascleres are anisostyles in one size category: Large, thick, smooth, straight, occasionally sinuous, centrally thickened, narrow proximal region, fusiform: 696 (480–796) × 18 μm. Microscleres are isospinodiscorhabds I ( Fig. 15E, F) with 50% of microscleres either having three or two whorls. In some spicules the median whorl is absent or rudimentary. The manubrium is identical to the apical whorl. The median whorl is equidistant from both apical whorl and manubrium, but smaller and shorter: 49 (38–60) μm. Large isospinodiscorhabds II ( Fig. 15G) with two whorls, 75 (64–88) × 15 (15) μm. TABLE 7.Comparison of South African Cyclacanthiaspecies. Holotype details Type Locality Distribution & depth Morphology Microsclere morphology Microsclere I dimensions (µm) Microsclere II dimensions (µm) Megasclere dimensions (µm) Cyclacanthia bellae( Samaai & Kelly, 2003) NHMUK 2003.1.10.1 Ryi Banks, Algoa Bay, 22 m Port Elizabeth (Algoa Bay) in the Agulhas Ecoregion, habitat moderate profile reefs, rock substrate with patches of sand between rocks, 10–22 m Thinly encrusting, 5 mm high, inflated to 10 mm in situ, emerald green in life, dark chocolate brown in preservative; nodular truncate areolate porefields with poral membrane; volcano-shaped oscules Acanthose isospinorhabds 46 (44–51) 364 (319– 400) × 12 Cyclacanthia cloverlyae Samaai & Kelly, 2004 SAM H-5080 Umhlali, Tugela Banks, 17 m Umhlali, Tugela Banks, 17 m, Natal Ecoregion, low rocky profile, rock substrate, 17 m Thinly encrusting, 3 mm high, olive green in life, dark green in preservative; nodular truncate areolate porefields with no poral membrane; volcano-shaped oscules Smooth isospinorhabd 32 (25–44) 321 (273– 370) × 5 Cyclacanthia mzimayiensis Samaai & Kelly, 2004 SAM H-5082 Mzimayi reef, Sizela, south of Durban, 29 m Sizela & Aliwal shoal, South Durban in Natal Ecoregion, habitat low profile reef, rock substrate, to Amathole offshore region in the Agulhas Ecoregion, habitat low profile reefs, rock substrate, 18–22 Thickly encrusting, 2–3 cm high, lime green in life, dark green in preservative; low volcano-shaped oscules; nodular truncate areolate porefields with poral membrane Smooth isospinorhabds 39 (30–48) 268 (182– 363) × 5 Cyclacanthia rethahofmeyri sp. nov. SAMC-A090895 Amathole offshore region, 45 m Amathole offshore region in the Agulhas Ecoregion, habitat low profile, 1 m relief rocky bottom with areas of sand, 31–45 m Thickly encrusting, 6 mm high, dark green/black or dark brown in life, dark green in preservative; nodular truncate areolate porefields with poral membrane; volcano-shaped oscules Acanthose isochiadiscorhabds three whorls of cylindrical, conical tubercles; sometimes partial whorls or even 4 whorled. 49 (38–60) 75 (64–88) × 15 (15) 696 (480– 796) × 18 Substratum, depth range and ecology. Occursoff East London, Amathole regionat a depth range of 30–42 m. DNA sequence data. Wesequenced partial COI of collected material from different localities; GenBank accession numbers: COI MK153269– MK153271; MK016476.
Etymology.The species name rethahofmeyriis given in memory of Emeritus Professor Dr Retha Hofmeyr who joined the Zoology Department at the University of Western Capein 1974 and served as Head of Department from 1991 to 1992 before she passed away in 2020. Retha will always be cherished and remembered for her kindness and encouragement of her students and staff.
Remarks. Cyclacanthia rethahofmeyri sp. nov.have acanthose isospinodiscorhabds as microscleres ( Fig. 14) and conforms to the general skeletal characteristics of the genus. The examination of this material revealed the presence of a second category of large isospinodiscorhabds ( Fig. 15G, aspicule not present in any other Cyclacanthiaspecies described to date ( Samaai et al. 2004). The definition of Cyclacanthiahas been expanded to include species with a 2 ndcategory of isospinorhabds. The COI sequences of the Cyclacanthiaspecimens was clearly separated from Tsitsikammaand formed one, strongly supported phylogenetic cluster characterised by a single distinct haplotype ( Fig. 6). Table 7highlights the morphological characters of the different Cyclacanthiaspecies and figure 14 shows the different typesof isospinodiscorhabds. The family Latrunculiidaeis monophyletic as indicated by the COI phylogeny ( Fig. 6).
3005534303
2016-08-31
RV Ellen Khuzwayo & R. Payne
41
-32.95
Stn
72
28.066
Amathole region
26
435
1
Eastern Cape
holotype
3005534353
2016-02-23
RV Ellen Khuzwayo & R. Payne
31
-32.751
Stn
72
28.415
Amathole region
26
435
1
Eastern Cape
paratype
3005534351
2016-08-27
RV Ellen Khuzwayo & R. Payne
45
-32.759
Stn
72
28.41
Amathole region
26
435
1
Eastern Cape
paratype
3005534308
[199,915,1259,1285]
East London
Amathole region
26
435
1
Eastern Cape
holotype
3005534320
Amathole region
36
Occurs
East London
28
437
1
3005534369
MK153269
[371,503,258,285]
28
437
1
3005534366
MK153271
[518,647,258,285]
28
437
1
3005534321
MK016476
[658,792,259,285]
28
437
1