Clathrina aspina Klautau, Solé­Cava & Borojevic, 1994

Azevedo, Fernanda & Klautau, Michelle, 2007, Calcareous sponges (Porifera, Calcarea) from Ilha Grande Bay, Brazil, with descriptions of three new species, Zootaxa 1402, pp. 1-22 : 4-5

Clathrina aspina Klautau, Solé­Cava & Borojevic, 1994

TYPE MATERIAL—BMNH 1999.9.16.3 (holotype / alcohol).

TYPE LOCALITY — Arraial do Cabo (Gruta Azul), Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

MATERIAL EXAMINED — UFRJPOR 4862, UFRJPOR 4863. Angra dos Reis (Botinas Islands), Brazil. Collected by M. Klautau (6 April 2003), 2 m depth.

KNOWN DISTRIBUTION — Arraial do Cabo and Ilha Grande Bay (Botinas Islands), Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

COLOUR—White in life and in alcohol.

DESCRIPTION — The two specimens collected were small (the largest specimen is 10 x 10 x 2 mm). The cormus is formed of thin, regular and tightly anastomosed tubes ( Fig. 2 A). Only in one specimen water­collecting tubes could be observed. The skeleton is composed of triactines, tetractines and tripods, which are similar to large conical triactines ( Fig. 2 B). Triactines are the most abundant spicules and tripods are found only on the external tubes.

SPICULES (Table 1). Triactines: Equiangular and equiradiate. Actines are conical, with sharp tips ( Fig. 2 C).

TABLE 1: Spicules measurements of Clathrina aspina (UFRJPOR 4863).

Tripods: Similar to large triactines, with stout conical actines and blunt tips ( Fig. 2 D). Tetractines: Equiangular and equiradiate. Actines are conical, with sharp tips ( Fig. 2 E). The apical actine is straight, conical, sharp and smooth or ornated with vestigial spines ( Fig. 2 F).

REMARKS— C. aspina was originally described from Arraial do Cabo in 1994, and since then it had not been reported to other localities. In this study, its distribution is being extended to the South coast of Rio de Janeiro state.

Figures

FIGURE 2. External and internal morphology of Clathrina aspina; A—Preserved specimen; B—Section of the cormus; C—Triactine; D—Tripod; E—Tetractine; F—Cross­section of a tube showing the apical actine of tetractines with vestigial spines (arrow).