Axinella hispida Koltun, 1959

Morozov, Grigori, Sabirov, Rushan Mirzovich & Anisimova, Natalia, 2018, New data on sponges from Svalbard Archipelago with a description of a new species of Halicnemia, Journal of Natural History (J. Nat. Hist.) 52 (7 - 8), pp. 491-507 : 495-497

Axinella hispida Koltun, 1959

( Figure 3 (a–e))

Axinella hispida Koltun 1959, pp. 196–199 , fig. 156, pl. XXXVI, fig. 1; Sim et al. 1990, pp. 127–128, pl. 8, figs. 1, 2

Description

( Figure 3 (a)) Body elongated, branching or lobate, size up to 9.5 cm in height. It is slightly narrowing downwards forming a short peduncle. Surface setose, markedly hispid, covered with a thin, pellucid aspicular dermal membrane. The consistency is quite strong and elastic. Colour ash-yellow or greenish yellow.

Skeleton

( Figure 3 (b)) Plumose, formed by the thick ascending spicule tracts from which long styles radiate obliquely and penetrate the surface.

Spicules

( Figure 3 (c–e)) Long styles, dimensions: 1184.4–1836.6–2445 (n = 30) × 14.2–24.6– 33.2 µm (n = 30); thick styles, dimensions: 483.8–970–1914 (n = 50) × 18.4–39– 52.3 µm (n = 50); irregularly curved or flexuous oxeas, dimensions: 412.1–654.4–903 × 11.3–14.8– 20.2 µm (n = 20).

Distribution

Bering Sea (near the Commander Islands), East China Sea (Cheju Island), west of Spitsbergen.

Remarks

This species is rather rarely found. After Koltun (1959) described two specimens collected near the Commander Islands, it was recorded only once, most likely wrongly, by Sim et al. (1990). Considering its spicules’ sizes and shapes, the sponge described by Sim from the East China Sea is closer to Axinella blanca ( Koltun 1959) .

In total nine specimens found at depths of 163–425 m were examined. The temperature and salinity in the bottom layer were 3.33–3.93°C and 35‰.

In contrast to description of spicules given by Koltun, the skeleton of each of the examined specimens contained single strongyles – derivatives of styles, both thick and long.

Figures

Figure 3. A. hispida, (a) habitus; (b) longitudinal section (abbreviations: mb, the main bundle in the inner part of the sponge; s, styles, branching off from the main bundle and penetrating the surface); (c–e) SEM images of spicules; (c) long style; (d) flexuous oxea; (e) thick style.