Review of the sponge genus Penares (Demospongiae, Tetractinellida, Astrophorina) in the New Zealand EEZ, with descriptions of new speciesAuthorSim-Smith, CarinaAuthorKelly, MichelletextZootaxa20192019-07-1546381156journal article2621710.11646/zootaxa.4638.1.1fb8c670e-e341-4236-9b05-402c7f92b8f11175-53263335260E5A26EB4-1F98-4310-A8D7-A0F933E75D95Penares okokewaesp. nov.
(
Fig. 27–29
;
Table 9
)
Material examined.
Holotype—NIWA101248
(0CDN 6810-M),
Okokewa Island
,
Hauraki Gulf
,
36.141° S
,
175.307° E
,
5 m
,
26 Apr 1999
.
Type
locality.
Okokewa Island
, off
Port Abercrombie
,
Great Barrier Island
.
Distribution.
Only known from the type locality, Hauraki Gulf,
New Zealand
(
Figure 29
).
Holotype
was found on a rocky slope in a cave, at
5 m
.
Description.
Morphology is thickly encrusting, forming broad, rounded lobes (
Figure 27B
). Dimensions of the
holotype
are
100 mm
wide ×
10 mm
high. Texture is compressible and is easily torn. Surface is smooth, surface ‘skin’ thin, highly wrinkled in areas when preserved, smooth in life, very slightly sandpapery to the touch. Large oscules (
1–3 mm
) are scattered over the surface of the sponge, often on the apices of lobes (
Figure 27
A–C). No pores are present on the small piece of the
holotype
that was retained. Interior is fuzzy to the touch. Colour in life is cream, interior is tan. Colour in ethanol is beige throughout.
Skeleton.
Cortical skeleton is around
150 µm
thick and consists of a dense layer of microxeas, on top of which is a dense layer of microrhabds. Microxeas and microrhabds are not aligned in any particular orientation.
Choanosomal skeleton contains a single layer of dichotriaenes that are aligned with their cladome at the cortex/ choanosome boundary (
Figure 27D & E
). Tight bundles of oxeas radiate out from the centre of the sponge (
Figure 27D
). The choanosome is densely packed with large oxyasters (
Figure 27E
). Microxeas are occasionally scattered throughout the choanosome.
Spicules
(
Figure 28
;
Table 9
).
Megascleres
—oxeas (
Figure 28A
) are very small and very slender; 702 (418– 909) × 13 (9–16) µm (n = 20). Dichotriaenes (
Figure 28B
) have a short rhabdome that is shorter than the cladome width; 307 (213–384) µm long × 471 (355–618) µm wide (n = 20). Deuteroclads are widely spread and curved towards the centre of each pair of deuteroclads.
TABLE 9.
Spicule dimensions (µm) of
Penares okokewaesp. nov.
Dimensions are given as the mean (minimum–maxi-mum) length × mean (minimum–maximum) width (number of spicules measured). OX = oxea; D = dichotriaene rhab- dome, DP = dichotriaene protoclad; DD = dichotriaene deutroclad; DC = dichotriaene cladome; MOX = microxea;
Specimen
Megascleres
Microscleres
NIWA 101248
OX: 702 (418–909) × 13 (9–16) (20)
MOX: 62 (34–104) × 5 (3–7) (20)
holotype
D: 307 (213–384) (20)
MR: 15 (6–26) × 3 (2–4) (20)
DP: 97 (61–130) (20)
O: 32 (25–50) (20)
DD: 144 (86–209) (20)
DC: 471 (355–618) (20)
Microscleres
—microxeas (
Figure 28C
) curved or straight, slightly centrotylote; 62 (34–104) × 5 (3–7) µm (n = 20). Oxyasters (
Figure 28E
), moderately large with several smooth, relatively stout, conical rays; 32 (25–50) µm in diameter (n = 20). Microrhabds (
Figure 28D
), very small and straight with bluntly rounded tips, slightly centro- tylote; 15 (6–26) × 3 (2–4) µm (n = 20).
Etymology.
Named after the
type
locality of this species, Okokewa Island, off Port Abercrombie, Great Barrier Island.
Remarks.
The possession of oxyasters, microrhabds and microxeas differentiates
P. okokewaesp. nov.
from the majority of
New ZealandPenares
,
with the exception of
P. deformissp. nov.
,
P. turmericolorsp. nov.
and
P. aureussp. nov.Penares deformissp. nov.
possesses strongyloxeas and has larger oxyasters than
P. okokewaesp. nov.
; while
P. turmericolorsp. nov.
and
P. aureussp. nov.
have smaller oxyasters but larger microrhabds than
P. okokewaesp. nov.
None of the other South Pacific
Penares
species possess oxyasters.