Latrunculia (Biannulata) lunaviridis Samaai and Kelly (2003)

Samaai, Toufiek, Gibbons, Mark J. & Kelly, Michelle, 2006, Revision of the genus Latrunculia du Bocage, 1869 Porifera: Demospongiae: Latrunculiidae) with descriptions of new species from New Caledonia and the Northeastern Pacific (, Zootaxa 1127 (1), pp. 1-71 : 55-57

Latrunculia (Biannulata) lunaviridis Samaai and Kelly (2003)

( Figs 1T, 7 , 8D, 9B ; Tables 2 & 3)

Latrunculia lunaviridis Samaai and Kelly, 2003 , PG 10, FIGS 3A, 4B , 5B

Holotype material. BMNH 1996.7.3.6: Ouderkraal, Southpaw, Cape Town, South Africa, 33 59’S, 18 22’E, collected by P. Coetzee, University of Port Elizabeth , 25 February 1996, 17– 20 m, a schizotype has been deposited in the South African Museum, Cape Town ( SAM H­4960).

Additional material. SAM H­4960: Ouderkraal , Southpaw , Cape Town, South Africa, 33 59’S, 18 22’E, collected by P. Coetzee, University of Port Elizabeth, 27 February 1996, 17– 20 m ; SAM H­4961: Ouderkraal , Southpaw , Cape Town, South Africa, 33 59’S, 18 22’E, collected by P. Coetzee, University of Port Elizabeth, 25 February 1996, 17– 20 m ; SAM H­4972: Hout Bay , near the wreck of British “The Maori”, sunk in 1909, ~ 2.5 nm offshore and north of Hout Bay, west coast near Cape Town, South Africa, 34° 01' 83''S, 18° 18' 27''E, collected by Lynden West, SCRIPPS, 30 January, 2003, 28– 29 m. SAM H­4973: Vulcan Rock , Hout Bay, South Africa, 34° 03' 98''S, 18° 18' 54''E, collected by Lynden West, SCRIPPS, 27 January, 2003, 28– 32 m. BMNH 2002.9.25.1: Cape Point , South Africa, labeled Latrunculia sp. in Gilchrist Collection at BMNH, Kirkpatrick No. 107 [no other details (e.g. Lat., Long.; depth and collection site) of this specimen is available (pers. comm.. Clare Valentine)] .

Diagnosis. Spherical sponge ( Fig. 8D) with low cylindrical oscules and numerous thick lipped crater­like areolata porefields, covered with a distinct net­like poral membrane. Colour in life pale olive green; in preservative, dark brownish green. Styles are smooth, occasionally polytylote with one end being hastate; 357 (336–384) x 12 m. Anisodiscorhabds have an ( Fig. 1T) expanded spinose manubrium, with whorls more or less perpendicular to the shaft. Apical whorl slants upwards ending in a crown­like tuft of conical spines, which lies parallel to the shaft axis. Whorls are notched along the rim and divided into four segments, each segment possessing a denticulate margin of four spines; 54 (53–60) x 9 (7.2–9.6) m. The polygonal tracts that make up the choanosomal skeleton is irregular, ranging in width from 150–180 m in thickness, forming meshes that are 250 m wide (9B). In the deeper choanosome, tracts are robust and diverge towards the surface where the spicules tend to be vertically arranged and radiate in plumose tracts 280–300 m wide. The sponge whose habitat are rocky flats, covered with sand, at 17–20 m depth are often associated with coral, sea anemones and other sponges (after Samaai et al. 2003).

Geographic distribution ( Fig. 7 ). West coast of South Africa.

Remarks. Latrunculia lunaviridis represents the 2 nd record of the genus for the Benguela region (including Namibia) and the 3 rd for South Africa. Geographically its nearest neighbour is a deep­water population (up to 140m) of the subgenus Latrunculia , L. brevis (now considered a specimen of L. basilis ) collected off Namibia (see Uriz 1988) ( Fig. 7 ; Table 2). Latrunculia lunaviridis differs markedly from the Namibian “ brevis ” ( basilis ) population. It has smaller megascleres [ L. brevis ( Uriz 1988) ­ 400 (340–430) m] and the styles are hastate as appose to being fusiform in the Namibian brevis population. L. lunaviridis also differs from the Namibian species in colour, being pale olive green as appose to being dark brown, and the surface aquiferous features in L. lunaviridis are crater­like, whereas for L. brevis ( Uriz 1988) the areolate porefields are extended mammiform processes. The most distinguishing feature separating L. lunaviridis and L. brevis (Namibian population) is the microscleres ornamentation. The anisodiscorhabds of L. brevis has a phyllamentous anisodiscorhabd, compare to a relative straight/perpendicular anisodiscorhabd of L. lunaviridis . The anisodiscorhabd of L. lunaviridis also lacks the basal whorl of spines just above the manubrium, and the whorls are divided into four segments with four denticulate margins, compare to three distinct segments with eight denticulate margins for L. brevis (see Samaai 2002). As for, L. brevis (Namibian population), L. biformis (Tsitsikamma population) differs markedly from L. lunaviridis in colour (being brown), surface auriferous systems (conical or mammiform in shape), spicule dimensions [larger 558 (528–576) x 12 (12–16) m] ( Table 3) and microscleres ornamentation (being curved or phyllamentous). The most characteristic feature of L. biformis , lacking in L. lunaviridis , is the presence of a second discorhabd category, the aciculodiscorhabd.

Conversely, L. lunaviridis has similar areolate porefield structures to those of L. kaakaariki , L. duckworthi and L. fiordensis (being crater­like), but differs from the latter three in colour, microscleres ornamentation and spicule size. Its anisodiscorhabds are smaller and thicker on average (size range) [ L. kaakaariki 412 (329–461) x 8 m, L. duckworthi 348 (259–390) x 7 m and L. fiordensis 375 (316–452) x 6 m], and its anisodiscorhabds are significantly larger than for the three New Zealand species ([ L. kaakaariki 32 (27–35) m, L. duckworthi 37 (33–42) m and L. fiordensis 39 (34–45) m].

L. lunaviridis also differs in being pale olive green as appose to being chocolate brown ( L. duckworthi ), or dark green ( L. kaakaariki ) and ( L. fiordensis ). The general anisodiscorhabd morphology is also different between the four species, where L. fiordensis possess an anisodiscorhabd with the basal whorl of spines just above the manubrium, a character lacking in L. lunaviridis , L. kaakaariki and L. duckworthi . However, comparing the structure of the whorls on the anisodiscorhabds between the three latter species, those of L. kaakaariki and L. duckworthi are deeply notched along the rim and divided into segments, each segment possessing denticulate margins of 5 to 7 spines as appose to 4 denticulate margins in L. lunaviridis . The anisodiscorhabd of L. lunaviridis is large, stout, with a thick shaft (9 m thick), and harbours a very thick spinose manubrium, unlike L. kaakaariki and L. duckworthi who both has a more slender anisodiscorhabd.

Figures

FIGURE 4. Photomicrographs of choanosomal architectures: A. L. bocagei Ridley and Dendy 1886; B. Latrunculia apicalis Ridley and Dendy 1886; C. Latrunculia biformis Kirkpatrick 1908; D. Latrunculia basilis Kirkpatrick 1908; E. Latrunculia brevis Ridley and Dendy 1887; F. Latrunculia multirotalis Topsent 1905.

FIGURE 5. Photomicrographs of choanosomal architectures: A. Latrunculia ikematsui Tanita 1968; B. Latrunculia oxydiscorhabda Alvarez et al. 2002; C. Latrunculia triverticillata Alvarez et al. 2002; D. Latrunculia austini sp. nov.; E. Latrunculia citharistae Vacelet 1969; F. Latrunculia purpurea Carter 1881.

FIGURE 7. Worldwide distributions of Latrunculia (Biannulata) species. Distributions of A) Latrunculia spinispiraefera Brøndsted, B) Latrunculia citharistae Vacelet, C) Latrunculia purpurea Carter, D) Latrunculia oparinae Samaai and Krasokhin; E) Latrunculia lunaviridis Samaai and Kelly; F) Latrunculia microacanthoxea Samaai and Kelly; G) Latrunculia kaakaariki Alvarez et al.; H) Latrunculia duckworthi Alvarez et al.; I) Latrunculia procumbens Alvarez et al.; J) Latrunculia wellingtonensis Alvarez et al., 2002; K) Latrunculia kaikoura Alvarez et al.; L) Latrunculia millerae Alvarez et al.; M). Latrunculia austini sp. nov.

FIGURE 9. Photomicrographs of choanosomal architectures: A. Latrunculia oparinae Samaai and Krasokhin 2002; B. Latrunculia lunaviridis Samaai and Kelly 2003; C. Latrunculia microacanthoxea Samaai and Kelly 2003; D. Latrunculia kaakaariki Alvarez et al. 2002;