New taxa and arrangements within the family Latrunculiidae (Demospongiae, Poecilosclerida)
Author
Kelly, Michelle
Author
Sim-Smith, Carina
Author
Stone, Robert
Author
Reiswig, Toufiek Samaai Henry
Author
Austin, William
text
Zootaxa
2016
4121
1
1
48
journal article
38929
10.11646/zootaxa.4121.1.1
214dc5a7-b23a-4140-b251-3a564b18bb9e
1175-5326
265513
2C978846-61DD-48BD-87BE-0BC22D0CABF2
Latrunculia
(
Biannulata
)
triloba
(
Schmidt, 1875
)
(
Fig. 14
,
16
AF;
Table 9
)
Sceptrella triloba
Schmidt, 1875
: 119
, Pl. 1, Fig. 17, 18.
Material examined.
Holotype
—
ZMB
Por 2667 (2 lots): Bukenfjord on the southwest coast of
Norway
,
59.333° N
,
5.783° E
.
Type
location.
Bukenfjord.
Distribution.
North Atlantic Ocean, Northern
Norway
and Finnmark, southern
Norway
.
Description.
The
holotype
is a thickly encrusting sponge (
Fig. 14
A–B, D) with compressed tapering aquiferous turrets on the surface, some terminating in oscules, some blunt with microscopic pores. The preserved
holotype
was originally attached to a
Terebratulina
brachiopod shell, now composed of six fragments in two lots, probably originally about
48 mm
long and wide, about
5–7 mm
thick, aquiferous turrets about
2–4 mm
long. Location of the areolate pore fields, if present, cannot be determined because of condition of specimens. Texture in life soft, compressible. Colour of preserved
holotype
golden brown.
Spicules.
Megascleres (
Fig. 14
G), anisostyles, slightly centrally thickened, occasionally polytylote, smooth proximally, 370 (350–385) × 11 (10–13) µm.
Microscleres (
Fig. 14
F, H–L), anisodiscorhabds with four distinct whorls, the first is the basal whorl (manubrium indistinguishable or absent), above which is the median, subsidiary and apical whorls, apex absent. Occasionally subsidiary and apical whorls form a barely differentiated tuft of spines, those at the apex are often elongated and irregular, 48 (45–53) × 32 (28–35) µm.
Remarks.
In searching for the
holotype
of
Latrunculia tricincta
at the Museum für Naturkunde Berlin, Dr Carsten Lüter also found the
holotype
of
Latrunculia triloba
(
Schmidt, 1875
)
, from Bukenfjord on the southwest coast of
Norway
. The
holotype
of
L
.
triloba
is a wet specimen divided into two lots (preserved in two glass jars carrying the same number); Lot 1 contains 5 pieces, one of which is attached to a
Terebratulina
brachiopod shell, and Lot 2 contains a single specimen. Unfortunately, the microscope slide mentioned in
Hentschel (1929: 870)
could not be located. As the gross morphology was not shown in the original description, the illustrations of the microscleres are stylised, and the spicules were not measured, we have taken the opportunity to re-describe the species here, provide new observations (
Fig. 14
,
Table 9
) and to assign the species to one of the
Latrunculia
subgenera.
Schmidt (1875)
stated that the anisostyles are thickest centrally and that the anisodiscorhabds showed greatest kinship with
Sceptrella regalis
Schmidt, 1870
of Florida, with four whorls of projections that, in end-on profile, form three palmate, indented whorls. Examination of the microscleres of
L
.
triloba
(
Fig. 14
H–L) reveals that the normal anisodiscorhabds are not as regular as those of
Sceptrella regalis
(see
Fig. 1
F, left) and the second category of microsclere, the ‘amphityles’ or isoconicorhabds, are absent.
The microscleres are in fact, typical of
Latrunculia
(
Biannulata
)
species; the anisodiscorhabds have median, subsidiary and apical whorls, an apex, and an undifferentiated basal whorl and manubrium. We transfer the species to subgenus
Biannulata
(
Table 9
); this represents the first record of the subgenus outside the Pacific Ocean and further north than
South Africa
in the Atlantic Ocean.