Agelas schmidtii Wilson, 1902

Ugalde, Diana, Fernandez, Julio C. C., Gómez, Patricia, Lôbo-Hajdu, Gisele & Simões, Nuno, 2021, An update on the diversity of marine sponges in the southern Gulf of Mexico coral reefs, Zootaxa 5031 (1), pp. 1-112 : 11-13

Agelas schmidtii Wilson, 1902

Tables 6, 7; Figs. 5A–C , 16D

Synonymy and references: Agelas schmidtii Wilson (1902: 398) , Alcolado (1976), Muricy et al. (2011: 39), Parra- Velandia et al. (2014: 329), and Rützler et al. (2014: 77); Agelas sp. : Johnson (1971: 109); Agelas sventres : see reference compiled in Parra-Velandia et al. (2014: 329); Agelas schmidtii: van Soest (2017: 117) .

Type locality. Puerto Rico .

Material examined. CNPGG-2229, Cayo Arcas reef (20.19566°, N, - 91.95997°W), 11.5 m depth, coll. Diana Ugalde, 24 August 2018 ; CNPGG-2274, Triangulo Este reef (20.89765°, N, - 92.24218°W), 12 m depth, coll. Oscar Bocardo, 11 September 2017; CNPGG – 1347, Alacranes reef (22.45838°N, 89.61122°W), 20 m depth, coll. Patricia Gómez, 12 August 2009 ; CNPGG-2353, Banco Obispo Sur reef (20.42059°, N, - 92.22865°W), 12 m depth, coll. Oscar Bocardo, 14 September 2017 ; CNPGG-2426, Isla Verde reef (19.19844°, N, - 96.06863°W), 9 m depth, coll. Diana Ugalde, 28 August 2018 .

Description. Tubiform (splitted or anastomosed) habit ( Fig. 16D ); largest specimen measures 5–18 cm long, 2 cm diameter, 0.15 cm thickness of the tube wall. Surface slightly rugose without visible pores. Oscules on top of the tube, up to 0.5 cm in diameter. Color in vivo bright orange, and after fixation light brown. The consistency is compressible and elastic.

Skeleton. A regular reticulation of spongin fibers; round meshes up to 700 µm in diameter ( Fig. 5A ). Fibers with a regular diameter and without a distinction of primary and secondary fibers, ca. 50–80 µm in thickness and cored by a few spicules; some fibers are free of spicules. Fibers near the ectosomal region echinated by a few spicules. Several sand grains and foreign debris on the surface and throughout the skeleton ( Figs. 5A–B ).

Spicules. Megascleres: verticillate styles like reduced acanthostyles (fully spined) ( Fig. 5C ), often straight and in an extensive size range; 80– 152 (63.5) –250/5– 8.8 (2.6) –12 µm.

Distribution. Mexico (current records), Bahamas ( Wiedenmayer 1977), Cuba ( Alcolado 1976), other countries in the Caribbean Sea, and Brazil ( Parra-Velandia et al. 2014; van Soest 2017).

Remarks. Our specimens fit with the original description of A. schmidtii in Wilson (1902), which he mentions the presence of verticillate styles (i.e., verticillate acanthostyles) with 90–200/4–8 µm and a skeleton with horny reticulate fibers, sparsely echinated in the interior and more echinated near to the surface. However, the specimens analyzed here differ in color (i.e., bright red or bright orange) in comparison with Wilson’s specimens who mentions “yellowish-brown, with a tinge of washed-out red here and there.” Such color difference can be interpreted as intraspecific variation since Parra-Velandia et al. (2014) have found specimens of A. schmidtii from the Bahamas, Barbados, Curaçao, and Jamaica (other Caribbean areas) with bright red or bright orange color too. The habit is also variable in A. schmidtii , since Wilson (1902) describes the sponge body as “elongated, tubular, with a few short branches” and Parra-Velandia et al. (2014) have found specimens with the following shapes: small round, tapered finger (from Belize), minute open tubes (from Rosario Islands, Colombia) and rounded finger ( the Bahamas). Some of these shapes were observed in our material as well as the variation of them, for instance: lobular with an aperture on the upper region (CNPGG-2229), short small open tubes (CNPGG-2353), larger repent tubes (CNPGG-1347), small round finger with scattered apertures (CNPGG-2274), long finger with scattered apertures (CNPGG-2426).

Specimens from South America are reported in different localities from the northeast (off the coast), southeast (off the coast) and seamounts (Victória-Trindade Seamounts Chain), 20 m to 108 m depth, with ramose or reptant tubes and a few ramified, light or dark brown color, and verticillate acanthostyles with 120–210 µm ( Muricy et al. 2006). Further, specimens from Potiguar Basin (northeast Brazil, ca. 50 m depth) are reported with an erect habit (tubular shape), light brown color, and verticillate acanthostyles with 74–197 µm ( Muricy et al. 2008).

The color of Brazilian specimens is nearest to the original description than our material’s color and Parra-Velandia’s et al. (2014) material. Besides, measurements of verticillate acanthostyles in our material (i.e., 80–250/5–12 µm), Parra-Velandia’s et al. (2014) material (i.e., 43–210/2–13 µm), and Brazilian material ( Muricy et al. 2008) are similar to the original description ( Wilson 1902). However, our material and Parra-Velandia’s et al. (2014) material have thicker verticillate acanthostyles. Unfortunately, the thickness of the verticillate acanthostyles of Brazilian material has not been reported ( Muricy et al. 2006, 2008). Our study presents the first record of A. schmidtii for the GoM.

Figures

FIGURE 5. Agelas schmidtii Wilson, 1902 (CNPGG-2274), skeleton and spicules: A. transversal section of the skeleton; B. detail of the ectosomal region; C. verticillated acanthostyles. Scale bars: A = 500 µm; B = 100 µm; C = 50 µm.

FIGURE 16. In situ photographs of species analyzed in the present study: A. Agelas clathrodes (Schmidt, 1870) (CNPGG- 2297); B. Agelas conifera (Schmidt, 1870) (CNPGG-2373); C. Agelas dispar Duchassaing & Michelotti, 1864 (CNPGG-2007); D. Agelas schmidtii Wilson, 1902 (CNPGG-2285);E. Agelas sventres Lehnert & van Soest, 1996 (CNPGG-2285); F. Agelas wiedenmayeri Alcolado, 1984 (CNPGG-2476); G. Prosuberites carriebowensis Rützler, Piantoni, van Soest & Díaz, 2014 (CNPGG-2211); H. Ectyoplasia ferox (Duchassaing & Michelotti, 1864) (CNPGG-2407); I. Ectyoplasia ferox (Duchassaing & Michelotti, 1864) (CNPGG-2240); J. Dragmacidon reticulatum (Ridley & Dendy, 1886) (CNPGG-2283); K. Ptilocaulis walpersii (Duchassaing & Michelotti, 1864) (CNPGG-2171); L. Myrmekioderma rea (de Laubenfels, 1934) (CNPGG-2261); M. Neofibularia nolitangere (Duchassaing & Michelotti, 1864) (CNPGG-2206); N. Desmanthus meandroides van Soest & Hajdu, 2000 (CNPGG-2389); O. Cliona aprica Pang, 1973 (CNPGG-2298). Scale bars, A–O = 1 cm.