Ciocalypta magnastyla, Arroyo & Hajdu & Willenz & Cóndor-Luján, 2020

Arroyo, Yessenia, Hajdu, Eduardo, Willenz, Philippe & Cóndor-Luján, Báslavi, 2020, First record of Ciocalypta Bowerbank, 1862 (Demospongiae, Suberitida Halichondriidae) in the Eastern Pacific, with description of a new species from Peru, Zootaxa 4853 (3), pp. 429-441 : 431-434

Ciocalypta magnastyla sp. nov.

( Figure 2 , Table 1)

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:A79C3BF2-EA70-4E9F-AD5A-D0CC913BBD15

Holotype. LaBSIM 2.02-0001= UCSUR 07-000009 with fragments deposited in RBINS Porifera collection ( RBINS -IG 32909 -POR.124) . Paratypes. LaBSIM 2.02-0002= UCSUR 07-000049 and LaBSIM 2.02-0003= UCSUR 07- 000050 . All collected in San Fernando National Reserve, San Juan de Marcona , Ica (15°09’02.72’’S 75°21’05.45’’ W), 10 m of depth, by L. Aguirre and R. Canales, May 4th 2010 .

Type locality. San Fernando National Reserve, San Juan de Marcona, Nazca, Ica, Peru.

Diagnosis. Ciocalypta with transparent fistules, 1.5–5.0 cm high, apical oscula, styles and oxeas in a single category each (respectively; 370–1000 µm, distributed all over; 160–500 µm, located in the ectosome of the fistules and in the basal mass).

Description. Body, a basal mass, partially covered with sediment, conical, slightly hispid, with fistular projections ( Fig. 2A ). Holotype 5.0 x 4.5 x 4.0 cm, with transparent, cavernous fistules 1.5–5.0 cm high ( Fig. 2B ), with a central axis ( Figs 2 C–C’). Oscula (some of which contracted on preserved specimens), small (1 mm diam.), apical on fistules. Compressible consistency. Color greenish white in life, beige with slightly orange fistules after preservation ( Figs. 2 A–B).

Skeleton. Fistules: Ectosome easily detachable, tangential to the surface, with dense skeleton of styles and few oxeas ( Fig. 2D ). Axial choanosomal skeleton thick (35–75 µm), central, formed by styles parallel to each other. Extra-axial tracts radiate from the central axis as numerous styles that extend towards the ectosome, supporting the latter ( Fig. 2E ). Subectosomal cavities present, diameter 500–1250 µm. Basal mass: Ectosome easily detachable and similar to that of the fistules, choanosome a dense mass of spicules (styles and few oxeas) in ascending tracts running towards the ectosome, delimiting subectosomal cavities ranging from 150 to 250 µm ( Fig. 2F ).

Spicules. Megascleres only: Styles, long and slim, slightly curved or straight ( Fig. 2G ), 520–752.3(±130.5)– 1000/7.5–18.1(±6.3)– 30 µm. Oxeas, long and slightly curved ( Fig. 2H ), 180–285.2(±83.1)–500/6.3– 8.9(±1.2)– 11.3 µm.

Etymology. The specific epithet is used as a noun in apposition, and highlights the presence of large styles in the skeleton.

Remarks. Ciocalypta includes 16 species from the Indo-Pacific Ocean ( van Soest et al. 2020): C. aciculata Carter, 1885 , C. digitata ( Dendy, 1905) , C. expanda Tanita & Hoshino, 1989 , C. gracilis Topsent, 1897 , C. heterostyla Hentschel, 1912 , C. massalis ( Carter 1883) , C. melichlora Sollas, 1902 , C. microstrongylata Vacelet, Vasseur & Lévi, 1976 , C. penicillus sensu Topsent (1897) , C. polymastia ( Lendenfeld, 1888) , C. rutila Sollas, 1902 , C. sasuensis Kang & Sim, 2008 , C. simplex Thiele, 1900 , C. stalagmites Hentschel, 1912 , C. tyleri Bowerbank, 1873 and C. vansoesti ( Hooper, Cook, Hobbs & Kennedy 1997) . The analyzed specimens from Peru do not match any of them. Only two species, C. melichlora and C. rutila , exhibit skeletal compositions similar to Ciocalypta magnastyla sp. nov., presenting both styles and oxeas. Nonetheless, the oxeas of C. melichlora and C. rutila are larger (280–940/ 30–40 µm and 980/ 20 µm, respectively) than those of the Peruvian species (160–500/5.0– 12.5 µm). In addition, they greatly differ in external morphology [see Sollas (1902) Pl XIV, Fig 1 and XIV, Fig. 7].

Ciocalypta penicillus sensu Topsent (1897) needs reassessment as it pushes the species distribution to an unlikely distant spot (Banda Sea) from the type locality (North Sea). Neither Topsent (1897), nor Desqueyroux-Faúndez (1981), first revisor, offered a description and micrometries for the spicules in these specimens. Consequently, a proper comparison of this record with the new species proposed here cannot be made. Instead, we compared the Peruvian materials to C. penicillus ’ lectotype sensu Erpenbeck & van Soest (2002), who reported two categories of incompletely differentiated styles (600–630/ 12–18 µm, 340–390/ 5–10 µm) and small oxeas (200–260/ 5 µm). The latter are thought to be likely modified styles in view of their frequently telescoped or distorted extremities. Both the styles and the oxeas do not reach in C. penicillus the largest dimensions attained by these spicules in the Peruvian species.

Ciocalypta expanda , C. gracillis , C. heterostyla , C. massalis , C. polymastia , C. sasuensis and C. simplex , despite similar to C. magnastyla sp. nov. in external morphology and skeleton organization, do not have oxeas, only styles ( Table 2). Moreover, C. expanda and C. simplex have smaller styles (115–200/ 7–8 µm and 275/ 7 µm, respectively) compared to the new Peruvian species (370–1000/ 5–32 µm). Contrastingly, C. digitata , C. microstrongylata , C. stalagmites , C. tyleri and C. vansoesti do not have styles. Instead, they present two (or more) size categories of oxeas, one of which is larger than the one in C. magnastyla sp. nov. ( Table 2). Besides, C. microstrongylata includes microscleres (microstrongyles centrotylotes) in its skeleton. The spicules of C. aciculata are subtylostyles, originally described as “sub-pinlike” by Carter (1885; as C. penicillus var. aciculata ), who mentioned these as the sole difference in comparison to Bowerbank’s (1862) original description. The type specimen for the variety should be revised because Carter’s description is totally incomplete, and also to settle if this is indeed a Ciocalypta . Hooper & Wiedenmayer (1994) classified it in Halichondria .

Given the amphi-American distribution of some sponge species (e.g. de Paula et al. 2012, Azevedo et al. 2015), we also preferred to compare C. magnastyla sp. nov. with species reported from the Atlantic Ocean. These are C. alba Carvalho, Carraro, Lerner & Hajdu, 2003 , C. alleni Laubenfels, 1936 , C. gibbsi ( Wells, Wells & Gray, 1960) and C. hyaloderma Ridley & Dendy, 1886 . Ciocalypta gibbsi , from North Carolina, is the most similar, but its skeleton possesses smaller styles (510 µm) and two categories of oxeas. Other species with distant geographic distribution (the eastern Mediterranean C. carballoi Vacelet, Bitar, Carteron, Zibrowius & Pérez, 2007 , the Russian C. minuta Revoi, 1931 , and the Moroccan C. weltneri Arnesen, 1920 ) present the same spicule combination, but differ in spicule dimensions ( Table 2).

Given the above comparisons, we feel confident the Peruvian species is indeed new within the genus, and an important new generic record for the Southeast Pacific.

Figures

FIGURE 1. Collection site. Location of San Fernando National Reserve, Ica, Peru.

FIGURE 2. Ciocalypta magnastyla sp. nov. (holotype LaBSIM 2.02-0001=UCSUR 07-000009). A, Specimen after fixation. B, Isolated fistules. C, Skeleton of the fistule and enlarged region. D, Dermal membrane (ectosomal skeleton) of the fistule.E,Axial and extra-axial skeleton of the fistule. F, Basal skeleton. G, Styles. H, Oxeas. Abbreviations: sc=subectosomal cavities, ac=axial choanosomal skeleton, e-at=extra-axial tracts. Scale bars: A-B, 1 cm; C, 5 mm; C’, 2.5 mm; D, 100 µm; E, 100 µm; F, 100 µm; G, 200 µm; H, 50 µm.