Eurypon suassunai, Santos, George Garcia, França, Fernando & Pinheiro, Ulisses, 2014

Santos, George Garcia, França, Fernando & Pinheiro, Ulisses, 2014, Three new species of Eurypon Gray, 1867 from Northeastern Brazil (Poecilosclerida; Demospongiae; Porifera), Zootaxa 3895 (2), pp. 273-284 : 277-280

Eurypon suassunai sp. nov.

( Figs 1 , 4–5 ; Table 1)

Type specimens: UFPEPOR 1532 (Holotype), off Canavieiras City, Camamu-Almada Basin (15° 35' 5.91" S, 38° 46' 36.35" W), Bahia State, Brazil, (X.2011). UFPEPOR 1533 (paratype), off Canavieiras City, Camamu-Almada Basin (15° 33' 30.56" S, 38° 45' 14.53" W), Bahia State, Brazil, (X.2011).

Diagnosis. Eurypon suassunai sp. nov. is the only Eurypon from the Atlantic which combines subtylostyles, acanthostyles I, acanthostyles II with bulbous base, and raphidiform styles.

External morphology ( Fig 4 A–B). Thin transparent encrustation, about 1 mm thick. Oscules not visible. Surface hispid due to evenly distributed projecting spicules. Consistency is fragile. Color in life is orange (formaldehyde) and pale in ethanol.

Skeleton ( Fig. 4 C–D). Ectosomal skeleton is absent. Tips of the choanosomal spicules protrude externally ( Fig. 4 C–D). The choanosomal skeleton has a hymedesmioid structure. The raphidiform styles are dispersed in the subectosomal region. Acanthostyles I and II are most abundant on basal layer of spongin ( Fig. 2 D).

Spicules ( Fig. 5 A–I). Choanosomal subtylostyles ( Fig. 5 A, G): long, smooth, slender, slightly curved and with bulbous base (690–1660 / 5–17 µm); Acanthostyles I ( Fig. 5 B, E): varying from straight to slightly curved, with lightly bulbous base, short and curved spines (hook-shaped spines) more concentrated in the middle and apical part of spicules (159–354 / 7–13 µm); Acanthostyles II ( Fig. 5 C, F): are short and robust, often straight, with bulbous base, totally microspined with short and curved spines (hook-shaped spines) (54–129 µm); Raphidiform styles ( Fig. 5 D, H, I): smooth, thin, most are straight, the styloid base ranges from the shape of a crown (171–345 / 1–5 µm).

Distribution ( Fig. 1 ). Northeastern coast of Brazil, Bahia State, Brazil.

Depth. Shallow water.

Etymology. This species is named in honor of the Late the famous writer Ariano Vilar Suassuna for his defense of the culture of the Brazilian Northeast.

TABLE 1. Comparative micrometric data on the spicules and overview of distribution of the living species of Eurypon Gray, 1867 for the Atlantic. Values are in micrometers (µm), expressed minimum–maximum or minimum– mean –maximum length/width. References are numbered in parentheses and listed at the foot of the table.

TABLE 1. (continued)

Species Specimen Depth (m) Spicules (µm) location

Acanthostyles Subectosomal Choanosomal Choanosomal Other spicules Styles Tylostyles Subtylostyles

E. lictor ( Topsent, 1904) (3) Azores 1600 - - 2000 / 23 - 575–1000 / 4–5 (tornote) 50 / 13–15 (trichodragmata)

E. mixtum ( Topsent, 1928) (5) Ceuta, Spanish 650– 2165 I) 1000 - Not recorded Not recorded - Morocco II) 100–320

E. major Sarà & Siribelli, 1960 (10) Naples and 14–40 80–220 / 4–10.5 - 1115–2210 / - 480–700 / 4–7.5 (oxea)

Western Europe 10–17

E. mucronale ( Topsent, 1928) (5) Azores 2460 I) 700–900 / 25– - - Not recorded 400–490 / 12–17 (tornote)

30

II) 125–280 / 20

E. obtusum Vacelet, 1969 (10) Mediterranean 250 70–170 / 5–7.5 - Not recorded / - 400–430 / 2.5–3 (oxea)

Sea 10–12

E. pilosella ( Topsent, 1904) (3) Azores 550– 1360 I) 2000–3000 / - - 300–480 / 5–6 - 25–30 (microspined) II) 170–300 / 15–

25

E. radiatum ( Bowerbank, 1866) (11) Azores, Shetlands Not recorded 100–400 I) 800 / 10–15 - - - and Hebrides II) 350

E. scabiosum ( Topsent, 1927) (6) Azores 650–919 I) 1000 / 24 - - 470–630/3– 4 - II) 80–300 / 6–13

E. simplex (Bowerbank, 1874) (7) Roscoff and 60–260 I) 218 / 8 - - 2116 / 27 - Faroes II) 105

E. topsenti ( Burton, 1954) (13) Western 900 - 1200 / 8 1600 / 14 - 60 (trichodragmata)

Caribbean

E. toureti ( Topsent, 1894) (8) Gulf of Mexico Not recorded 50–60 - Not recorded - 10–12 (isochelae)

E. viride ( Topsent, 1889) (9) Gulf of Mexico, 80–800 85 - 1000 - 70 (raphide)

Mediterranean

and Azores

References: (1) Little (1963); (2) Lévi (1969); (3) Topsent (1904); (4) Topsent (1891); (5) Topsent (1928); (6) Topsent (1927); (7) Bowerbank (1874); (8) Topsent (1894); (9) Topsent (1889); (10) Aguilar-Camacho & Carballo (2013); (11) Bowerbank (1866); (12) Arndt (1935); (13) Burton (1954).

Remarks. Eurypon suassunai sp. nov. belongs to the genus in having choanosomal subtylostyles, echinating acanthostyles and an encrusting habit with a hymedesmioid skeleton. The closest species to E. suassunai sp. nov. is E. clavilectuarium sp. nov. because both shares the same spicules. However, in E. clavilectuarium sp. nov. the subtylostyles are longer and stouter (1200–2000 / 8–24) than those of E. suassunai sp. nov. (690–1600 / 5–17) and in the former, the tyle of the acanthostyles II are styloid against bulbose tyle of the last. Except from both, no others species of Eurypon in Atlantic have raphidiform styles. Furthermore, the presence of two categories of acanthostyles distinguishes E. suassunai sp. nov. from eleven species of the Atlantic: E. cinctum ; E. clavatella ; E. coronula ; E. fulvum ; E. lacazei ; E. lictor ; E. major ; E. obtusum ; E. radiatum ; E. toureti ; E. viride (Table 1).

Figures

FIGURE 1. Location of the collection sites of Eurypon clavilectuarium sp. nov. (1 — Rio Grande do Norte State); Eurypon distyli sp. nov. (2 — Paraíba State); and Eurypon suassunai sp. nov. (3, 4 — Bahia State).

FIGURE 2. Eurypon clavilectuarium sp. nov. (UFPEPOR 1534, holotype). A, preserved specimen; B, details of the surface; C, skeleton. Scale bars: A = 1 cm; B = 1.5 mm; C = 250 µm.

FIGURE 4. Eurypon suassunai sp. nov. (UFPEPOR 1532, holotype). A, arrows indicate the position of the specimen; B, preserved specimen and details of the surface; C, skeleton; D, details of the choanosomal skeleton (hymedesmioid). Scale bars: A = 5 mm; B = 1.5 mm; C = 200 µm; D = 100 µm.

FIGURE 5. Spicule composition of Eurypon suassunai sp. nov. (UFPEPOR 1532, holotype) in SEM. A, subtylostyle; B, acanthostyle I; C, acanthostyle II; D, raphidiform style; E, details of ends of B; F, details of ends of C; G, details of the base of A; H and I, details of the base of D. Scale bars: A = 200 µm; B = 80 µm; C = 30 µm; D = 80 µm; E – F = 5 µm; G = 10 µm; H – I = 10 µm.