Umborotula bogorensis ( Weber, 1890 )

Ruengsawang, Nisit, Sangpradub, Narumon, Artchawakom, Taksin, Pronzato, Roberto & Manconi, Renata, 2017, Rare freshwater sponges of Australasia: new record of Umborotula bogorensis (Porifera: Spongillida: Spongillidae) from the Sakaerat Biosphere Reserve in Northeast Thailand, European Journal of Taxonomy 260, pp. 1-24 : 5-8

Umborotula bogorensis ( Weber, 1890)

Figs 1–8 ; Table 1 ; Appendix

Ephydatia bogorensis Weber, 1890: 33 .

Ephydatia blembingia Evans, 1901: 71 .

Ephydatia bogorensis – Weltner 1895: 114. — Annandale 1911: 54; 1918: 201. — Gee & Wu 1925: 393. — Gee 1926: 110; 1927a: 1; 1927b: 61; 1928: 225; 1929a: 13; 1929b: 297; 1930a: 84; 1930b: 170; 1930c: 28; 1930d: 90; 1931: 34; 1932a: 449; 1932b: 28. — Vorstman 1927: 184. — Arndt 1932: 564. — Sasaki 1970: 44. — Cheng 1991: 2.

Ephydatia blembingia – Annandale 1907: 269; 1911: 54, 109; 1918: 207. — Gee 1930a: 90; 1930d: 90; 1932a: 450; 1932c: 295.

Ephydatia bogorensis var. blembingia – Gee 1931: 34; 1932a: 449; 1932b: 28; 1932c: 308. — Suvatti 1950: 3.

Meyenia bogorensis – Penney 1960: 46.

Meyenia bogorensis var. blembingia – Penney 1960: 46.

Umborotula bogorensis – Penney & Racek 1968: 122. — Racek 1969: 300. — Rützler 1978: 143. — Tendal 1969: 47 (emended in litteris). — Masuda 1998: 296. — Wang 1998: 280. — Manconi & Pronzato 2002: 964; 2007: 65, 71–72. — Masuda 2006: 19. — Manconi et al. 2013: 315–316, 319.

Note

Two specimens of Umborotula bogorensis were discovered and their morphotraits and habitat are reported. These specimens were registered in the Nisit Ruengsawang Collection as CNR-POR-FW100, on stick, Sakaerat Biosphere Reserve (Northeastern Thailand), N. Sangpradub leg., 21 Dec. 2014; CNR- POR-FW101, on rocky substrate, Sakaerat Biosphere Reserve (Northeastern Thailand), N. Sangpradub leg., 17 Jan. 2015. Both Thai specimens are also registered as slides (DTRG FW 770A, DTRG FW 770B) at the DISTAV, Genoa University.

Description

Growth form thin, encrusting (ca 4 cm), on stick and rocky substrata. Colour yellowish in vivo, light brown in dry condition. Consistency soft, fragile. Texture loose. Oscules inconspicuous. Surface slightly hispid for spicules. Ectosomal skeleton as emerging fibre tips supporting the dermal membrane. Choanosomal skeleton as loose reticulate network, anisotropic, paucispicular, with ascending fibres evident only towards the surface; ill-defined, irregular network towards the basal portion. Spongin scanty except for gemmular theca and basal plate. Megascleres oxeas (265.1–348.8 × 9.3–14 µm) from abruptly pointed to acerate, from straight (dominant) to bent; abruptly pointed acanthoxeas (dominant), with small microspines scattered along the shaft and more dense towards the smooth apical tips; spine apices oriented towards the tips; spines from smooth to ornate by microspines. Smooth oxeas also present. Rare malformations. Microscleres absent; free gemmuloscleres abundantly scattered in the skeletal network. Gemmules not abundant and scattered singly from surface to basal portion within meshes of the fibrous network. Gemmules subspherical (413–546 µm in diameter), slightly flattened at the foramen side. Foramen single short foraminal tube with a short simple collar in a depression surrounded by a thickening of the gemmular wall. Gemmular theca trilayered. Outer layer thin, armed with a robust continuous layer (mosaic-like) of distal rotules; frequently with distal rotules of gemmuloscleres notably emerging from outer layer. Pneumatic layer (60–80 µm in thickness) fibrous, without chambers, as a network of anastomosing very thin spongin fibres. Inner layer multilayered of compact spongin. Gemmuloscleres umbonate birotules of a single size class, radially and densely embedded in pneumatic layer, with overlapping umbrella-shaped rotules in contact with both inner and outer layer. Rotules of equal diameter (20–25 µm), distally convex and proximally concave, sometimes irregular. Margins incised, serrate, recurved bearing dense, short hooks. Hooks here and there in a double layer with simple, smooth tips (recurve spines) of variable length. Birotule shaft (55.1–76.9 × 4.4–5.8 µm) entirely spiny, with large, perpendicular conical spines. Spines straight in middle axis bending towards rotules, notably variable in length and density, with tips acute and sometimes bent, from smooth to ornate by microspines, rare tubercles also present. Young gemmuloscleres as birotules with scarcely developed rotules. Rare birotules (not young) with very short shaft (ca half length) and well developed rotules also present.

Remarks

Morphotraits of the presently described Thai material match previous descriptions and the type material ( Table 1 ), except for the absence of strongyles in the present material. For terminology we refer to Manconi & Pronzato (2002, 2016).

Figures

Fig. 1. Biogeographic pattern of the monotypic genus Umborotula with published records. The new record from the Sakaerat Biosphere Reserve in NE Thailand (14°30ʹ15.83″ N, 101°55ʹ03.64″ E) is indicated by the green square. For question marks, see text in the historical accounts section. The unpublished records are not reported (see Appendix). Red dots indicate the type localities of Ephydatia bogorensis Weber, 1890 and E. blembingia Evans, 1901.

Fig. 2. Map of Sakaerat Biosphere Reserve in Thailand (modified from Trisurat 2010). The new record of Umborotula bogorensis (Weber, 1890) is indicated by a star.

Fig. 3. Umborotula bogorensis (Weber, 1890) from the Sakaerat Biosphere Reserve, NE Thailand. a. sampling site along a temporary streamlet and pool; arrows indicate the microhabitat of the two recorded specimens. b. Gemmule carpets (arrows) during low water level (dry season). c. Encrusting sponge with gemmules on a stick from the pool.

Fig. 4. Umborotula bogorensis (Weber, 1890) from the Sakaerat Biosphere Reserve, NE Thailand. SEM micrographs. a. Gemmules in a group within skeletal meshes. Gemmular theca with almost flat foraminal area. Several free gemmuloscleres also scattered in the skeletal network. b. Gemmule (basal area, top view) with developed outer layer covering the distal rotules of radial gemmuloscleres. c–d. Gemmules showing foraminal area (central); outer layer is lacking (top view). e. Gemmule without outer layer showing partially dissociated gemmuloscleres in the pneumatic layer and the smooth inner layer of compact spongin. Foramen simple, with short collar. f. Gemmule (cross section) with foraminal tubule and radial gemmuloscleres in the trilayered theca. g. Outer layer at the theca surface with distal rotules of gemmuloscleres. h. Distal rotules of gemmuloscleres without outer layer. i. Proximal rotules of gemmuloscleres adhering to the inner layer of the theca. j–k. Foraminal area supported by a network of spongin fibres and a rosette of radial gemmuloscleres. l. Architecture of trilayered gemmular theca with radial gemmuloscleres and spiny shafts (cross section). m–o. Fibrous network of thin spongin fibres in the pneumatic layer (detail, cross section).

Fig. 5. Umborotula bogorensis (Weber, 1890) from the Sakaerat Biosphere Reserve, NE Thailand. Spicular complement (SEM) of gemmules and skeleton. a. Gemmulosclere birotules armed by large spines. b. Rotule of a gemmulosclere (top view). c. Shafts of gemmuloscleres with large scattered spines. d. Rotules of gemmulosclere (lateral view). e. Megascleres (oxeas) of the skeleton. f. Megascleres, tips. g. Megascleres, shafts.

Fig. 6. Umborotula bogorensis (Weber, 1890) (as Ephydatia bogorensis Weber, 1890 and E. blembingia Evans, 1901). a–c. Diagnostic morphotraits from plates in original descriptions. d–f. Gemmule and spicules (LM) of E. blembingia from the type, BMNH 1901:10:22:1−2. a–b. Modified from Evans (1901). c. Modified from Weber (1890).

Fig. 7. Historical trend of faunistic and taxonomic investigations focusing on Umborotula bogorensis (Weber, 1890). The papers mentioning this species are 40. The 15 papers (box) reporting new records are indicated by asterisks. See also Fig. 1 (map) and Appendix.

Fig. 8. Umborotula bogorensis (Weber, 1890). Possible type locality in a pond of the Bogor Botanical Garden (Java). Picture after Arndt (1932).