Neopetrosia proxima (Duchassaing & Michelotti, 1864)

Santos, George Garcia, Sandes, Joana, Cabral, Abigail & Pinheiro, Ulisses, 2016, Neopetrosia de Laubenfels, 1949 from Brazil: description of a new species and a review of records (Haplosclerida: Demospongiae: Porifera), Zootaxa 4114 (3), pp. 331-340 : 336-339

Neopetrosia proxima (Duchassaing & Michelotti, 1864)

( Figure 4–5 , Table 1 )

For synonyms see Muricy et al. (2011).

Examined material. UFSPOR 116, 118, 135, 162, off Pirambu city (10°45’36”S 36°36’08”W), Sergipe State, Brazil, 20 m depth, coll. Cosme e Damião Assis, June 2003.

External morphology ( Fig. 4 A–B). Massive lobed sponge. The largest specimen is 7 x 4 x 4 cm (length x width x height) and the smallest is 2 x 1.5 x 0.5 cm (length x width x height). The surface is smooth to rough with scattered oscules, up to about 2 mm in diameter, on the top of lobes, or slightly raised on the surface. The consistency is firm, hard and brittle. In ethanol, the color is purplish-brown or dark brown externally and light brown internally.

Skeleton ( Fig. 4 C–E). The tangential ectosome is an irregular reticulation of dense multispicular tracts, forming vague rounded meshes with various amounts of spongin ( Fig. 4 C). At the surface there are fine brushes of oxeas issued from fascicular tracts ( Fig. 4 D). The choanosome is an irregular reticulation formed by fascicules made of an isotropic to confused reticulation of multispicular tracts or single spicules strewn in confusion. The meshes are rounded to oval, 250–875 Μm in diameter ( Fig. 4 E).

Spicules ( Fig. 5 A–C). Hastate oxeas, smooth, slightly curved with thinner developmental stages ( Fig. 5 A) and few styloids modifications ( Fig. 5 C): 96– 149.1 –177 / 1.6– 5.3 –9.6 Μm.

Ecology. This species was found at 20 m depth.

Geographical distribution. Tropical Northwestern Atlantic: U.S. Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, Colombia, Jamaica, Barbados, Panama and Belize ( Muricy et al. 2011). In the Brazilian coast: Northeastern Region: Sergipe State (present study).

Remarks. Neopetrosia proxima is a sponge that usually inhabits rocky shores and shallow to deep waters ( Zea et al. 2014). The specimens examined here were similar to Neopetrosia proxima from the Caribbean, both characterized by having massive form, oscules raised on small lobes and confused and disorganized skeleton (e.g. van Soest 1980; Zea 1987; Lehnert & van Soest 1996; Zea et al. 2014). According to Zea et al. (2014), the external morphology and spicules of this species are very diverse in different populations in Caribbean Sea and, probably, there are more than one species within the current scope of N. proxima from this area (Zea, personal communication). Compared to Bahamian, Colombian and Panamanian populations, the Brazilian specimens were more similar to the Colombian ones, sharing the massive form, purple color and robust hastate oxeas reaching larger and thicker sizes (75–223 / 1.7–10.7 µm in Colombia and 96– 149.1 –177 / 1.6– 5.3 –9.6 Μm in Brazil). However, the Brazilian population is different from the Caribbean one in two aspects: the internal light-brown color and a tangential ectosome with dense and irregular reticulation in Brazilian versus the internal cream color and the tangential reticulation with erect spicule brushes at the intersections in Caribbean.

References: (1) Present work - UFPEPOR 17, 396, UFSPOR 116, 118, 135, 162; (2) Zea et al. (2014); (3) Zea & Rützler (1983); (4) Topsent (1933); (5) van Soest et al. (2014); (6) Desqueyroux-Faúndez & Valentine (2002); (7) Pulitzer-Finali (1986).

When we compared the population of Neopetrosia proxima from Brazil with N. sulcata sp. nov., we observed some differences. The former has massive form, smooth surface, purplish-brown to dark brown external color, oscules on the top of mounds, irregular ectosomal reticulation and hastate oxeas, whereas the later has digitiform shape, punctiform surface, beige to light brown color, without differentiation between external and internal regions, apical oscules and/or flush with the surface, regular ectosomal reticulation and oxeas with high percentage of variation at the ends.

Figures

FIGURE 4. Neopetrosia proxima (Duchassaing & Michelotti, 1864). A, preserved specimen (UFSPOR 116); B, preserved specimen (UFSPOR 135); C, tangential view of ectosomal skeleton; D, fine brushes of oxeas at surface; E, ectosome and choanosome through transverse section. Scale bars: A – B = 2 cm; C – E = 150 µm.

FIGURE 5. SEM images of the spicules of Neopetrosia proxima (Duchassaing & Michelotti, 1864) (UFSPOR 116). A, three variations of oxeas; B, details of the apex of oxea; C, styloid form. Scale bars: A and C = 10 µm; B = 5 µm.

Tables

TABLE 1. Comparative micrometric data on the oxeas, morphology, depth and location of the living species of Neopetrosia de Laubenfels, 1949 for the Atlantic. Values are in micrometers (µm), expressed as follows: minimum – maximum or minimum – mean – maximum length / width. References are numbered in parentheses and listed below the table.

Species	Location / depth (m)	Morphology	Oxeas
Neopetrosia sulcata	Rio Grande do Norte State	Cylindrical, punctiform or furrowed surface, beige to	119– 157.5 –193 /
sp. nov. 1	( Brazil) / 70–101	light pink color and incompressible consistency	2.8– 4.9 –9.6
N. carbonaria (Lamarck, 1814) 2	Caribbean Sea (e.g. Colombia, Martinique, Panama, United States) / 1– 10	Thickly encrusting to massive, with dispersed volcano-like oscular elevations, oscules up to 1 cm in diameter, even and smooth or microrugose surface, black to very dark green color, internally and externally, and firm consistency	162–299 / 1.4– 2.1 –4
N. cylindrica (Lamarck, 1815) 4	Caribbean Sea	Erect, cylindrical, slightly red and white color and fragile consistency	120–165 / 4–6
N. dominicana (Pulitzer-Finali, 1986) 7	Boca Chica (Dominican Republic) / 20	Subcylindrical (2.5–3 cm diameter), oscules are flush, sparse (2 mm wide), brown color, firmly resilient and consistency of cork	140–260 / 5–14 (strongyles)
N. dutchi van Soest, Meesters & Becking, 2014 5	Southern Caribbean (Bonaire) / 217	Thick clump of large lobes (individual lobes up to 14 cm high and 9 cm in diameter), each with prominent central oscule of 0.8–1.5 cm in diameter, smooth surface and pale beige color	165– 235 –264 / 11– 14 –18
N. eurystomata van Soest, Meesters & Becking, 2014 5	Southern Caribbean (Bonaire) / 108	Vase shaped (size of largest specimen 30 cm high, 18 cm wide, wall thickness 1.5–2 cm), surface with vague stellar sunken groups of pores, pink and white external color, dark red or brownish internal color and firm and crumbly consistency, but slightly compressible	160– 187 –200 / 5– 9 –10
N. ovata van Soest, Meesters & Becking, 2014 5	Southern Caribbean (Curaçao) / 149	Ovate sponge (size 10 cm high, 8 cm in diameter, with a central oscule of 1.4 cm in diameter), Smooth surface, punctate in life, covered with tiny zoanthids, pinkish beige color and firm to hard consistency	200– 235 –270 / 10.5– 14.5 –15
N. proxima (Duchassaing & Michelotti, 1864) 1	Sergipe State (Brazil) / 20	Massive lobed, smooth to rough surface, with scattered oscules, purplish-brown or dark brown external color, light brown internal color and hard and brittle consistency	96– 149.1 –177 / 1.6– 5.3 –9.6
N. proxima (Duchassaing & Michelotti, 1864) 2	Caribbean Sea (e.g. Bahamas, Belize, Colombia, Martinique, Panama) / Up to 30	Shape varies from thick encrustations to massive or branched, with scattered oscules up to about 5 mm in diameter, even surface, rugose to the touch, color also varies (dark brown, pink to purple and yellowish to tannish to brownish), internal color always cream and hard consistency, but not very brittle, with a sticky feeling to the touch when cut	87–158 / 2.3– 5 –7
N. rosariensis (Zea & Rützler, 1983) 2, 3	Caribbean Sea (e.g. Bahamas, Colombia, Panama, Saint Eustatius) / shallow to deep reef	Cylindrical tubes emerging from a basal mass, smooth surface with sinuous depressions, dark brown color and very firm consistency	100– 183.6 –212 / 0.8– 9.4 –15.6
N. subtriangularis (Duchassaing, 1850) 6	Florida (EUA) / 1	Ramose, cylindrical branches, repent or erect, with finger-like flattened round lobes, several oscula scattered on one face of the branches, 3–8 mm in diameter, smooth surface and yellow green to dark olive green color	104– 120 –144 / 2– 3 –4