Hyattella pedunculata Calcinai & Belfiore, 2020

Calcinai, Barbara, Belfiore, Giuseppe, Pica, Daniela, Torsani, Fabrizio, Palma, Marco & Cerrano, Carlo, 2020, Porifera from Ponta do Ouro (Mozambique), European Journal of Taxonomy 698, pp. 1-56 : 8-10

Hyattella pedunculata Calcinai & Belfiore sp. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:5D86D9AC-962D-48A7-BF1D-12879B09E573

Fig. 5

Diagnosis

A species of Hyattella characterized by a globular body, supported by a short stalk; small-sized fibers and free of inclusion.

Etymology

The species is named ‘ pedunculata ’ due to its characteristic stalk, in Latin ‘ pedunculus ’.

Material examined

Holotype

PONTA DO OURO • fragment about 7 ×3× 2.5 cm; 26°46′38.829″ S, 32°54′17.381″ E; Waynes; 40.6 m deep; 17 Feb. 2017; Cerrano leg.; MSNG 61418 .

Paratype

PONTA DO OURO • 2 fragments, the biggest, preserved dry, is 3× 2× 1.5 cm; Cloud break; 18 May 2015; Torsani leg; MSNG 61419 .

Description

The sponge is pedunculate and the massive, globular body is supported by a short stalk ( Fig. 5 A–B). The color is reddish-pink, but in alcohol it turns creamy. The reddish color is still preserved in the dried state. The paratype (MSNG 61419) presents irregular short and thick digitations ( Fig. 5A, C ) while in the holotype (MSNG 61418) the surface is more even ( Fig. 5B ). At a microscopic observation, the surface is smooth and appears cribrous; the consistence is firm but compressible. The body is cavernous, completely perforated by large lacunae ( Fig. 5C ).

SKELETON. It consists of a network of long primary fibers, 10–25 µm, linked by very short secondary fibers, 7.5–20 µm in diameter, forming irregular meshes, around 250 µm wide ( Fig. 5D ); fibers are free from inclusions. Presence of rounded foreign bodies 100–200 µm in section on superficial cuticle ( Fig. 5E ).

Remarks

The specimens belong to the genus Hyattella Lendenfeld, 1888 , showing a lacunose body, an unarmoured surface and a skeleton composed by common primary fibers linked by secondary fibers. This species is characterized by the small size of its primary and secondary fibers compared to the size of the fibers in the other species of the genus; moreover, the pedunculate shape is rare among species of the genus Hyattella ; only Hyattella globosa Lendenfeld, 1889 partially fits the studied specimens in the general morphology (spherical sponge, attached by a small base) and in its cribrose surface. The principal differences are in the larger dimensions of the fibers (up to 100 µm) and in the presence of compound meshes creating ‘perforated plates’ in H. globosa .

Figures

Fig. 5. Hyattella pedunculata Calcinai & Belfiore sp. nov. A, C. Specimen in situ, paratype MSNG 61419; C shows the internal, lacunose body. B. Holotype MSNG 61418. D. Network of fibers. E. Superficial cuticle with foreign sand.