Clathria (Clathria) coralloides ( Scopoli, 1772 )

Pestana, Rosa, Ribeiro, Cláudia, Boury-Esnault, Nicole & Biscoito, Manuel, 2018, Systematic account of new Porifera (Demospongiae) records from the oceanic Island of Madeira (NE Atlantic), Zootaxa 4402 (2), pp. 395-400 : 397

Clathria (Clathria) coralloides ( Scopoli, 1772) ( Figure 2 )

Material examined. MMF 35073 / Location: Baixa do Carneiro, Lido (BC), Madeira island / 7.5 m depth / Date: 3 apr 2001 and 4 m depth / Date: 18 jun 2001 / Collector: Rosa Pestana.

Remarks. In the Mediterranean this species grows more or less like a ramified small tree, while in the Atlantic as encrusting forms ( Carballo 1994), as shown by the specimens collected in this survey. The spicules are composed by straight and thin subtylostyles (157.5‒325.4‒409.5 x 5.3‒5.3‒5.3 µm). Principal styles curved, and slightly constricted in one extremity (252.0‒425.1‒598.5 x 6.6‒7.9‒9.2 µm). Accessory styles, like principal styles, but smaller (152.2‒173.6‒241.5 x 5.3‒6.7‒7.9 µm). Toxas smooth with both extremities slightly curved (26.3‒93.9‒170.9 x 1.3‒1.7‒2.6 µm). The palmate isochelae (15.8‒16.4‒18.4 x 3.9‒5.1‒6.57 µm) found in the specimens were few. We don’t refuse the hypothesis that palmate isochelae could be cleistochelae, because no SEM was available. Occasionally, microscleres include palmate isochelae and modified forms, and toxas with smooth or spined points ( Hooper 1996), yet those characters were not found in the collected specimens.

MMF 35073 was compared with the literature ( Van Soest et al. 2013), focusing on some specimens, and mainly those caught by Boury-Esnault and Lopes (1985) at Stations: Aç 79-16; Aç 79-17. We can hesitatingly conclude that MMF 35073 is like Clathria (Clathria) coralloides sensu Boury-Esnault and Lopes (1985) by the type and micrometries of spicules, and its encrusting habit. Possibly, in the future this specie can be assigned has C. (C.) arcifera com. nov. ( Van Soest 2013).

This species is distributed in Azores and Mediterranean, being this study the first record from the Central East Atlantic until Cape Verde (not included).

Figures

FIGURE 2. Spicules and fibres: 1. Aplysilla sulfurea, spongin fibre; 2. Cliona celata, a: curved tylostyles, b: straight tylostyle, c: tylostyles with different types of heads; 3. Eurypon lacazei, a: tornote, b: acanthostyle, c: subtylostyle; 4. Clathria (Clathria) coralloides, a: straight and thin subtylostyle, b: principal style, c: accessory style, d: toxa, e: palmate isochela; 5. Mycale (Carmia) macilenta, a: tylostyle, b: toxa, c: large sigma, d: large palmate anisochela; 6. Tedania (Tedania) anhelans, a: curved style, b: straight tylote,c: onychaete.