Mycale (Zygomycale) odoya sp. nov.

Material examined

Holotype. UFPEPOR 2866 Boa Viagem Beach (12°56’12’’S – 038°30’38’’W, Blackadder Shipwreck, Salvador city, Bahia State, Brazil), col. Labimar, 05.II.2019, 5.1 m depth.

Diagnosis. The new species is the only known in Mycale (Z.) with mycalostyles 128–295 µm long, palmate anisochelae in three size categories and presence of micracanthoxeas.

External morphology. Arborescent sponge (Fig. 4A), with irregular branches growing in the direction of the surface. The surface is smooth, with rare oscules, and many small tubercles are present in the branches. Consistency is compressible, elastic, and spongy. The colour is vibrant purple in situ, beige in alcohol.

Skeleton. Reticulate choanosome consists of three-dimensional network of tracts of mycalostyles with a triangular arrangement (Fig. 4B). Anisochelae forming rosettes, and also dispersed in the choanosome. Tangential ectosomal skeleton in which the mycalostyles are arranged in multispicular tracts at the surface of the sponge (Fig. 4C).

Spicules. Megascleres. Mycalostyles (Fig. 5A) in one category, slightly curved, with rounded base (Fig. 5B) and acerate ends (128–187.2–295/1.4–2.7–7.3 µm) (Fig. 5C). Styles, robust (Fig. 5D), straight, regular base (Fig. 5E) and an acerate (Fig. 5F) or blunt pointed end (203–276.7–304/4.4–5.8–7.2 µm).

Microscleres. Sigmas I stout (Fig. 5N) (69–73.2–77 µm). Sigmas II (Fig. 5O), slender and short, C-shaped (15.2–25.9–36.1 µm). Palmate anisochelae I (Fig. 5G–I), big, robust, well-developed alae, with palmate head ca. 55% of the total length (39–42.1–45 µm; alae 20.3–23.4–25.5 µm). Palmate anisochelae II (Fig. 5J–L), short, well-developed, with palmate head ca. 61% of the total length (16.5–17.5–18.4 µm; alae 9.6–10.6–11.6 µm). Palmate anisochelae III (Fig. 5M), rare, well-developed alae, with palmate head ca. 62% of the total length (16.2–17.7–21.3 µm; alae 8.5–11.3–15 µm), similar to anisochelae I. Palmate isochelae (9.1–10.6–12.3 µm, Fig. 5P–R). Toxas (Fig. 5S), slender, curved in the middle, and gradually tapering to sharp endings, often in dragmas (22.7–38.2–71 µm). Micracanthoxeas (Fig. 5T), straight, rare, sharp-pointed and heavily spined (4.2–4.8–5.3/0.3 µm), only visible by SEM. Raphides (Fig. 5U), straight, short (20.3–28.3–40/1–1.3–2 µm).

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Ecology. The species was collected at 5 m depth on an artificial shipwreck substrate close to the sun coral Tubastraea spp.

Type locality. Northeast Brazil, Bahia State, Todos-os-Santos Bay (Boa Viagem Beach) (12°56’12’’S – 038°30’38’’W) .

Etymology. The specific name “ odoya ” refers to the greeting to the Orisha Yemanja, an African Deity. Odoyá is a Yoruba word that means “Mother of the waters”. Yemanja is worshipped worldwide as the mother of all Orishas, while in Salvador, Yemanja is worshipped mainly as a sea goddess.

Remarks. Mycale (Z.) odoya sp. nov. is similar to Mycale (Z.) ramulosa Carballo & Cruz-Barraza, 2010 and Mycale (Z.) pectinicola Hentschel, 1911 due to the massive form with arborescent branches in M. (Z.) ramulosa and the purple colour in M. (Z.) pectinicola . However, the new species shows different sizes of mycalostyles compared to both species. Mycalostyles in Mycale (Z.) odoya sp. nov. range from 128 to 295 µm, while in M. (Z.) ramulosa, mycalostyles vary from 290 to 317 µm, and in M. (Z.) pectinicola they range from 200 to 318 µm. Additionally, considering the proximity in the size of the megascleres in M. (Z.) ramulosa and M. (Z.) pectinicola, it is possible to observe that there is no exclusivity in the measurements of megascleres for these species, with an overlap in the sizes of both species (Table 1).

Moreover, Mycale (Z.) odoya sp. nov. shows mycalostyles and styles megascleres and three palmate anisochelae (I, II and III), while M. (Z.) ramulosa and M. (Z.) pectinicola have only one category of megascleres, represented by mycalostyles, and two categories of palmate anisochelae, with absence of anisochelae III. According to the morphological structure, palmate anisochelae I in the new species are similar to palmate anisochelae I in M. (Z.) ramulosa and in M. (Z.) pectinicola sensu Calcinai et al. (2013), because both species have the same shape and size. However, palmate anisochelae III in the new species is morphologically similar to palmate anisochelae II in M. (Z.) ramulosa .

Micracanthoxas observed in Mycale (Z.) odoya sp. nov. as well as in M. (Z.) ramulosa and M. (Z.) pectinicola are only visible by scanning electron microscopy due to their usually small size (3 to 19.6 µm, Table 1).

Mycale (Z.) odoya sp. nov. differs from Mycale (Z.) angulosa mainly due to the presence of micracanthoxas and three categories of palmate anisochelae in the former, while M. (Z.) angulosa has only two categories of palmate anisochelae (I: 40–51 µm and II: 15–20 µm) and micracanthoxas are absent. Additionally, Mycale (Z.) odoya sp. nov. has a reticulate skeleton, while M. (Z.) angulosa has a well-defined plumose architecture.