Latrunculia (Latrunculia) crenulata Lévi, 1993

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 : 38

Latrunculia (Latrunculia) crenulata Lévi, 1993

( Figs 1I, 2 ; Table 2, 3)

Latrunculia crenulata Lévi, 1993: 31 , FIG. 10B

Holotype material. MNHN DCL 3550 (Biocal DW 36 ), spicule slides, New Caledonia, 23 08.64'S, 167 10.99'E, depth 600 m.

Description. Small encrusting sponge. Surface smooth, without distinct openings. Texture unknown. Colour in life unknown; in preservative light brownish olive unknown (from Lévi, 1993)

Skeleton. The choanosomal skeleton consists of styles arranged in a wispy polygonalmeshed reticulation. The ectosomal skeleton consists of a paratangential layer of styles with a palisade of erect anisodiscorhabds on the surface. These are also scattered in the choanosome.

Spicules. The megascleres are small, smooth anisostrongyles more or less polytylotes, 236 (227–237) m x 7 (7) m, n=20. Microscleres in two categories ( Fig. 1I: 1) anisodiscorhabds with manubrium and apical whorl similar in structure. Apex of anisodiscorhabd ends in crown­like tuft of acute spines, apical whorl slanting upwards. Both the basal and subsidiary whorls are similar in diameter (91 m in diameter) and the median whorl is midway between the manubrium and apical whorl and is armoured on both sides with small short horizontal spines. Anisodiscorhabd length 68 (64–69) m, n=20; 2) anisodiscorhabds armoured with numerous short horizontal spines along the shaft, Anisodiscorhabd length 117 (115–127) m, n=20.

Substratum, depth range and ecology. Dredged from a depth of 600 m.

Geographic distribution ( Fig. 2 ). New Caledonia

Remarks. The relationship of this species to other species of Latrunculia is ambiguous. The anisodiscorhabds are unusual in that the basal, median and subsidiary whorls are equidistant along the shaft and the median whorl has a smaller diameter than the basal and apical whorls. Moreover, a second “expanded” anisodiscorhabd is present and unprecedented thus far in the Latrunculiidae , possessing verticillate spines along the shaft as well as having a reduced subsidiary and basal whorls.

Figures

FIGURE 2. Worldwide distributions of Latrunculia (Latrunculia) species. Distributions of 1) Latrunculia cratera du Bocage, 2) L. bocagei Ridley and Dendy, 3) L. apicalis Ridley and Dendy, 4) L. biformis Kirkpatrick, 5) Latrunculia basilis Kirkpatrick, 6) L. brevis Ridley and Dendy, 7) Latrunculia palmata Lévi, 8) Latrunculia multirotalis Topsent, 9) Latrunculia crenulata Lévi, 10) Latrunculia ikematsui Tanita, 11) Latrunculia oxydiscorhabda Alvarez et al., 12) Latrunculia triverticillata Alvarez et al., 13) Latrunculia fiordensis Alvarez et al., 14) Latrunculia novaecaledoniae sp. nov.

FIGURE 10. Photomicrographs of choanosomal architectures: A. Latrunculia duckworthi Alvarez et al. 2002; B. Latrunculia wellingtonensis Alvarez et al. 2002; C. Latrunculia kaikoura Alvarez et al. 2002; D. Gross morphology of Latrunculia kaikoura Alvarez et al. 2002.