Clathrina undetermined

Azevedo, Fernanda, Cóndor-Luján, Báslavi, Willenz, Philippe, Hajdu, Eduardo, Hooker, Yuri & Klautau, Michelle, 2015, Integrative taxonomy of calcareous sponges (subclass Calcinea) from the Peruvian coast: morphology, molecules, and biogeography, Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 173 (4), pp. 787-817 : 802-804

CLATHRINA NUROENSIS SP. NOV. ( FIG. 7 ; TABLE 7)

Type material: Holotype (ethanol): MNRJ 13032 – fragments from the holotype: RBINSc-IG 32241-POR 13032, CZA 13032, and MHNG 85820 .

Material examined: MNRJ 13032 ; El Ñuro site 1, El Ñuro Pier , Piura Region (04°13′00.00′′S, 81°10′50.00′′W); collected by Y. Hooker, C. Segami, B. Ibañez, and Ph. Willenz; 5 m depth; 24.xi.2009 .

Type locality: El Ñuro Pier, Piura Region, Peru .

Colour: White in life and light beige in ethanol.

Etymology: Named after the type locality (El Ñuro).

Description: A single specimen was collected, which was thickly encrusting (1.0 × 0.7 × 0.3 cm) ( Fig. 7A ), but became completely flattened after ethanol preservation ( Fig. 7B ). Consistency is friable. Cormus is formed by irregular and apparently tightly anastomosed tubes (0.2−0.5 mm) ( Fig. 7A–C ). Water-collecting tubes are present. Granular cells were not observed. Aquiferous system is asconoid.

Skeleton: Without any special organization and composed of three categories of triactines ( Fig. 7D ).

Spicules ( Table 7):

1. Triactines I: Regular (equiangular and equiradiate). Variable in size. Actines are slightly conical, straight, with sharp tips ( Fig. 7E ).

2. Triactines II: Regular (equiangular and equiradiate) or sagittal. Actines are conical, straight, with sharp tips ( Fig. 7F ).

3. Triactines III: Regular (equiangular and equiradiate). Very similar to triactines II, but smaller. Actines are conical, straight, with sharp tips ( Fig. 7G, H ).

Ecology: Lives in habitats with high amounts of sediment (predominantly composed of broken shells and polychaete tubes). Lophophorate, ramified colonial bryozoans, encrusting tunicates, and serpulid polychaetes were found sharing the same substrate. The calcareous sponges Soleneiscus pedicellatus sp. nov., Leucosolenia sp. , Sycon sp. , and Grantia sp. also occurred near this species. Bathymetrical distribution is restricted to 5 m depth.

Geographical distribution: North coast of Peru (4°S) ( Fig. 7I ) .

Remarks: Considering all species within Clathrina , only two species have their skeleton composed of three size categories of triactines: Clathrina laminoclathrata Carter, 1886 ( Australia) and Clathrina nuroensis sp. nov. However, the average sizes of spicules of C. laminoclathrata given by Klautau & Valentine (2003) (i.e. triactines: 188/18 μm, 132/13 μm, 72/8 μm) markedly exceed those of C. nuroensis sp. nov. (i.e. triactines: 89/8 μm, 77/8 μm, 40/7 μm), which justifies the status as a new species. Furthermore, the geographical distance between Australia and Peru is too large to postulate conspecificity.

Figures

Figure 7. Clathrina nuroensis sp. nov. (Holotype – MNRJ 13032). A, live specimen; B, specimen in ethanol; C, cormus anastomosis (cross section); D, spicules in the wall of a tube (tangential section); E, triactine I; F, triactine II; G-H, triactine III; I, distribution map along the Peruvian coast.