New species of Poecilosclerida (Demospongiae, Porifera) from the Aleutian Islands, Alaska, USA
Author
Lehnert, Helmut
Author
Stone, Robert
Author
Heimler, Wolfgang
text
Zootaxa
2006
1155
1
23
journal article
50595
10.5281/zenodo.172259
6c07e05a-a9d9-4018-b3fd-e01dd777be70
11755326
172259
Coelosphaera oglalai
sp. nov.
(
Fig 3
a–f)
Material
Holotype
: T5E34 (
51°37’19.3’’N
,
177°14’21.0’’W
, approximately
6.5 km
south of Cape Tusik, Kanaga Island,
155 m
depth).
Paratype
: 6206189B (
51°51’58.2’’N
,
176°15’7.8’’W
, Little Tanaga Strait,
100 m
depth). Both the
holotype
and the
paratype
are deposited at the National Museum of Natural History, Washington, D.C.,
U.S.A.
under the registration numbers
USNM
1082994 and
USNM
1082995, respectively.
Description
The
holotype
is a subglobular sponge, about
5 cm
in diameter (
Fig. 3
a). Alive it is orange colored and beige in ethanol. The smooth surface is covered irregularly with conical papillae of very different sizes, ranging from
2–20 mm
in height and
1–18 mm
in diameter. A considerable area of the surface is overgrown with bryozoans. The
paratype
is a massively encrusting sponge, growing under an
Iophon piceus abipocillus
.
Skeleton. The ectosome is in areas a tangential arrangement of bundles of tylotes, in other areas there is a tangential arrangement of all spicule
types
occuring in the sponge. In the choanosome strongyles are arranged halichondroid, relatively dense, in parts polyspicular tracts are vaguely recognizable.
Spicules. The choanosomal megascleres vary from blunt ended (anis) oxeas to strongyles (
Fig. 3
b), always with finely acanthose ends (
Fig. 3
c), 570–634
x 27–32
µm. Ectosomal tylotes (
Fig. 3
d) with slightly acanthose ends (
Fig. 3
e), 325–364
x 7–10
µm. Microscleres are arcuate isochelae (
Fig. 3
f), 47–52 µm.
Distribution
Known from the typelocalities only.
Etymology
|
Named after Oglala Point, Kagalaska |
Island, |
close |
to |
the |
location |
in |
Little |
Tanaga |
Strait where the holotype was collected. |
FIGURE 3.
Coelosphaera oglalai
sp. nov.
a, holotype. b, choanosomal strongyle. c, close up of microacanthose end of choanosomal strongyle. d, ectosomal tylote (upper left to lower right). e, close up of acanthose end of tylote. f, isochelae, on the left acanthose end of strongyle.
Discussion
The family
Coelosphaeridae Dendy, 1922
was rearranged by Van
Soest (2002a)
. Our new species fits into the definition given there of “
Myxillina
with reticulate choanosomal skeleton and arcuate isochelae” and it also meets Van
Soest´s (2002a)
definition of the genus
Coelosphaera
Thomson, 1873
of “
Coelosphaeridae
with hollow bodies provided with fistules; megascleres tylotes or strongyles, to which echinating acanthostyles may be added; microscleres arcuate isochelae, sigmas and rhaphides (may be absent)”. Following this, the new species has a reduced set of spicules where echinating acanthostyles, sigmas and rhaphides are lacking and, unlike any other species of
Coelosphaera
, in which the choanosomal strongyles have acanthose ends with conically shaped spines. As there are no acanthostyles it has to be assigned to the subgenus
Coelosphaera
Thomson, 1873
.
According to the “world list of extant sponges (Van
Soest & Hooper, 2005
) there are 37 species of
Coelosphaera
described worldwide. Here we compare the new species with the ten species known from the NPacific and NAtlantic.
Twelve species of
Coelosphaera
are described from the area but,
C. appendiculata
Carter, 1874
and
C. ascidioides
Fristedt, 1887
are regarded synonyms of
C. tubifex
Thomson, 1873
and
C. physa
(
Schmidt, 1875
)
respectively (Van
Soest & Hooper, 2005
). For the remaining species spicule
types
and sizes are listed in table 2.
C. calcifera
Burton, 1934
is reported to occur in the Sea of
Japan
by
Tanita & Hoshino, 1989
. This species differs in lacking acanthostyles, in having smaller tylotes, smaller isochelae and in the occurrence of sigmas.
C. crusta
Tanita & Hoshino, 1989
from
Japan
is a thinly (<
1 mm
) encrusting sponge with small cylindrical (<
1 mm
in diameter, <
10 mm
high) fistules. In spiculation it differs in having only tylotes as megascleres, it has smaller isochelae and has sigmas.
C. dividuum
(
Topsent, 1927
)
is a fistulose sponge with larger tylotes, with acanthostyles, and isochelae of a wider size range.
Coelosphaera hatchi
(Bakus, 1966)
was described as
Coelosphaericon
but is regarded as a member of
Coelosphaera
by Van
Soest (2002 a)
. It deviates from other species of the genus in the possession of toxiform microxeas and differs further from
C. oglalai
in larger tylotes and in smaller arcuate isochelae.
C. peltata
(
Topsent, 1904
)
is known from a small (<
1 cm
) patch of an encrustation. It has only smooth strongyles as megascleres, isochelae are of a wider sizerange and it differs in abundant rhaphides in trichodragmata.
C. physa
(
Schmidt, 1875
)
is a white fistular sponge from the NAtlantic and the Sea of
Japan
(
Koltun, 1959
). It differs in having very large tylotes as the only
type
of megasclere and in the occurrence of rhapides.
C. phlyctenodes
(
Carter, 1876
)
is again a subglobular fistule bearing sponge of yellowish color. It has only oxeas as megascleres, and further differs from
C
.
oglalai
in having smaller isochelae and in the possession of sigmas.
C. picoensis
Topsent, 1928
differs in the possession of only one category of megasclere and additional sigmas among the microscleres.
C. tubifex
Thomson, 1873
is a subglobular sponge with tubular fistules of varying lengths. It differs from
C. oglalai
in having larger tylotes, stylotes of larger size than the strongyles in
C. oglalai
and in smaller isochelae.
The genus
Damiriopsis
Burton, 1928
, (family:
Myxillidae
) known only with the single species
D. brondstedi
has choanosomal strongyles with finely acanthose ends and also shares the ectosomal tylotes with acanthose ends. However,
Damiriopsis
has anchorate isochelae while
C. oglalai
possesses arcuate isochelae which separates the genera on the family level.