Taxonomy of Oceanapia Norman, 1869 (Demospongiae: Haplosclerida: Phloeodictyidae) from the Brazilian coast
Author
Neto, Carlos Santos
Author
Nascimento, Elielton
Author
Cavalcanti, Thaynã
Author
Pinheiro, Ulisses
text
Zootaxa
2018
2018-08-02
4455
2
363
376
journal article
29102
10.11646/zootaxa.4455.2.6
14ee1f26-3b50-49f0-8126-1d5fcf9b1f46
1175-5326
1457303
2B4688E2-A4C1-4A3F-849F-9BC657DBD9EC
Oceanapia magna
sp. nov.
Figures 5–6
,
Tables 1–2
Type
locality:
Brazil
:
Rio
Grande do Norte
State: Potiguar Basin.
Type
specimens:
Holotype
.
UFPEPOR 1998 (
04°44'53.7’’S
36°25’27.4’’W
),
Potiguar Basin
,
Rio Grande
do
Norte State
,
Brazil
, depth
108 m
, trawl, coll.
Petrobrás
(
23/V/2011
).
Paratypes
.
UFPEPOR 2266 and UFPEPOR 2285, collected at the
type
locality.
Diagnosis.
Semispherical sponge with large fistulae, large oxeas (125–408 / 2–14 µm) and sigmas (10–45 µm).
External morphology (
Fig. 5A–B
).
The
holotype
consists of a semispherical body of
30 cm
(diameter). Despite its large size, part of the specimen remained
in situ
at the time of collection, and it can be deduced that the size of the sponge was larger. On the upper side, there are numerous digitated fistulae of irregular shape, fragile and easily broken. Simple fistulae (0.7–6.5 x
0.5–1.8 cm
, length x width) and fused fistulae (3.5–8.5 x
1.5–4 cm
, length x width). Hispid and irregular surface covered by other sponges. Surface hard and firm, forming a cortex (
0.5–2 cm
, thickness). Colour brown when preserved (ethanol 80%), unknown in life.
FIGURE 5.
Oceanapia magna
sp. nov.
(UFPEPOR 1998, holotype). A, preserved specimen; B, close up of oscules; C, thick section showing ectosome and choanosome; D, tangential section showing ectosome. Scale bars: A = 5 cm; B = 2 cm; C–D = 300 µm.
FIGURE 6.
Spicule complement of
Oceanapia magna
sp. nov.
(UFPEPOR 1998, holotype) in SEM. A, oxeas; B, details of oxeas; C, sigmas. Scale bars: A = 100 µm; B–C = 20 µm.
Skeleton (
Fig. 5C–D
).
Ectosome organic, formed by a tangencial skeleton of single oxeas and debris, supported by a subdermal reticulation of criss-crossing spicule tracts (50–
94.6
–133 µm, diameter, meshes 100–
372.2
–633 µm, diameter). The choanosomal skeleton is an irregular network of multispicular tracts (83–
174.2
–333 µm) forming irregular meshes (100–
410.1
–1165 µm) and some ascending multispicular tracts. The fistulae have an ectosomal skeleton quite differentiated, formed by multispicular tracts and irregular meshes interconnected by single spicules.
Spicules (
Fig. 6
).
Oxeas (125–
218.3
–408 / 2–
8.8
–14 µm): smooth, straight and slightly curved, with variably shaped points (acerate, hastate and blunt) (
Fig. 6A
–
B
). Sigmas (10–
18.2
–45 µm): smooth, thin and rare, found in the sponge body, absent in the fistulae (
Fig. 6C
).
Distribution and ecology.
Known only from Potiguar Basin,
Rio Grande do Norte
State,
Brazil
, from a slope at
108 m
deep (
Fig. 1
).
Etymology.
Adjective derived from Latin
magna
and refers to the large size of the specimens.
Remarks.
The most similar species are
O
.
atlantica
,
O
.
carotta
and
O
.
oleracea
.
Oceanapia atlantica
is amorphous, and its oxeas and sigmas are larger than the new species.
Oceanapia carotta
has a spherical shape and its fistulae are not digitiform, and oxeas are smaller than found in
O
.
magna
sp. nov.
(
Tables 1–2
).
Oceanapia oleracea
has a spherical shape with fistulae on the top, and its oxeas are smaller in length and width than the new species (see
Tab 1
). Compared to other species of
Oceanapia
in the Atlantic Ocean,
Oceanapia magna
sp. nov.
is distinguished from
O
.
bartschi
,
O
.
hondurasensis
and
O
.
niduliformis
by the presence of strongyles.
Oceanapia magna
sp. nov.
differs from
O
.
cordia
sp. nov.
,
O
.
topsenti
nom. nov.
,
O
.
aerea
,
O
.
ascidia
,
O
.
coriacea
,
O
.
elongata
,
O
.
fibulata
,
O
.
isodictyiformis
,
O
.
nodosa
,
O
.
nodulosa
,
O
.
peltata
,
O
.
penicilliformis
,
O
.
reticulata
and O.
robusta
by their absence of microscleres.
Oceanapia magna
sp. nov.
differs from
O
.
cancap
and
O
.
stalagmitica
because they have toxas which are not found in the new species.
Oceanapia hetcheli
nom. nov.
has as spicule complement oxeas and raphidiform oxeas, while
Oceanapia magna
sp. nov.
has oxeas and sigmas.