Clathria ( Clathria ) nicoleae, Barros, Lydia Vieira De, Santos, George Garcia & Pinheiro, Ulisses, 2013

Clathria ( Clathria) nicoleae View in CoL sp. nov.

( Figs 1–4 View FIGURE 1 View FIGURE 2 View FIGURE 3 View FIGURE 4 ; Tables 1 View TABLE 1 –2)

Synonymy: Clathria ( Clathria) sp. (Muricy et al. 2008: pp. 156).

Type locality: Brazil, Rio Grande do Norte State, Bacia Potiguar (lat. 04º51’26.6’’S; long. 36º07’04.8’’W).

Type specimens: Holotype—UFPEPOR 208, Bacia Potiguar (lat. 04º51’26.6’’S; long. 36º07’04.8’’W), Rio Grande do Norte State, Brazil, depth 30-31 m, trawl, col. Petrobras, ( 26/11/2003). Paratypes: UFPEPOR 663 and 664, Bacia Potiguar (lat. 04º54’58.1’’S; long. 36º11’57.6’’W), Rio Grande do Norte State, Brazil, depth 16.9 m, col. Muricy, G., ( 02/03/2007); UFPBPOR 175 and 181, João Pessoa, Paraíba State, Brazil, col. Marchi, J.G.B., ( 23/ 03/2008); UFPEPOR 1081, João Pessoa, Paraíba State, northeast Brazil, col. Lira, N.S., ( 12/03/2010).

Diagnosis. Clathria ( Clathria) nicoleae sp. nov. is the only Clathria ( Clathria) in Atlantic with auxiliary tylostrongyles, principal styles, auxiliary subtylostyles, accessory acanthostyles as megascleras; toxas and palmate isochelae as microscleres.

External morphology ( Figs. 2–3 View FIGURE 2 View FIGURE 3 ). Ficiform or erect palmate, sideways flattened resembling a fan, 4 to 30 cm high and 1 to 8 cm wide. Color in situ is orange to reddish but after fixation it turns to a brownish-cream, rugose surface to honeycombed and reticulated. The biggest oscules are concentrated at the tip, even though some smaller ones are found laterally with superficial channels gathering around them ( Fig. 3 View FIGURE 3 B). It also shows channels with a star-like pattern, which are very characteristic (see Fig. 3 View FIGURE 3 C).

Skeleton ( Fig. 3 View FIGURE 3 D–F). Plumoreticulated with abundant spongin fibers and styles accompanying them. Ectosome can be distinguished from choanosome because of superficial styles, and also because of the presence of tangential auxiliary tylostrongyles ( Fig. 3 View FIGURE 3 E), which are not seen presenting this formation elsewhere. It has disorganized ectosomal skeleton with bouquets of styles, and echinating acanthostyles and subtylostyles can be found along many channels ( Fig. 3 View FIGURE 3 F). Microscleres are diffusely distributed.

Spicules ( Fig. 4 View FIGURE 4 A–I). Megascleres. Principal styles ( Fig. 4 View FIGURE 4 A–B), thick, slightly curved, smooth (108- 182.3 -273 / 2.4- 11.8 -33 μm). Auxiliary subtylostyles ( Fig. 4 View FIGURE 4 C–D), straight, thin, lengthy, smooth, with microspined base (210- 257.6 -312 / 2.4- 3.7 -6 μm). Auxiliary tylostrongyles ( Fig. 4 View FIGURE 4 E–F), straight, body (shaft) smooth, with slightly different microspined extremities (curves spines), varying from tylostyles to asymmetric strongyles (99- 173.4 -285 / 1.0- 2.8 -5.4μm). Accessory acanthostyles ( Fig. 4 View FIGURE 4 G–H), small, thin, with microspined base (blunt verrucose to pointy thorns) and the extreme part of the spicule microspined as well (hook-shaped spines) (60- 89.4 -121 / 1- 3.2 -6 μm). Microscleres. Toxas ( Fig. 4 View FIGURE 4 J), rare, smooth, accentuated curvature in most cases, varying to less curved ones (19- 40.8 -84 μm). Palmate isochelae ( Fig. 4 View FIGURE 4 I), smooth, normal form, abundant and relatively large in size (14.3- 18.6 -24 μm).

Distribution ( Fig. 1 View FIGURE 1 ). Northeastern coast of Brazil, Rio Grande do Norte and Paraíba States, Brazil.

Depth. 17–31m

Etymology. The name of the species honours Nicole Boury-Esnault for her grand contribution in the field of sponge taxonomy.

Remarks. Although there are 25 valid species of Clathria ( Clathria) in the Atlantic Ocean, Clathria ( C.) nicoleae sp. nov. is the only one that has auxiliary tylostrongyles. The species that are most similar in external morphology with the new species are: C. ( C.) oculata Cuartas, 1992 ; C. ( C.) prolifera (Ellis & Solander, 1786) and C. ( C.) unica Cuartas, 1992 . However they don’t have auxiliary tylostrongyles and the others spicules differ in size (see Table 2). In Brazilian Coast Clathria ( C.) nicoleae sp. nov. differs from C. ( C.) calypso Boury-Esnault, 1973 because of the presence of auxiliary tylostrongyles and absence of two categories of auxiliary subtylostyles and two categories of toxas (see Table 2). Besides that, Clathria ( C.) nicoleae sp. nov. shows palmate isochelae with dimensions far greater than any other Clathria ( Clathria) from Atlantic Ocean (see Table 2).

Clathria ( Clathria) calypso Boury-Esnault, 1973 ( Fig. 5–6 View FIGURE 5 View FIGURE 6 ; Table 2)

Clathria calypso Boury-Esnault 1973 , p. 286; Hechtel 1976, p. 253. Clathria ( Clathria) calypso ; Muricy et al. 2011, p. 146.

Type locality: Brazil, Bahia State, Off Prado (Corumbau District; 16º47’S – 38º53’W).

Type specimens: Holotype—MNHN.LBIM.D.NBE 1035, 16º47’S – 38º53’W, Corumbau District, 27 m, Calypso sta. 76 expedition, det. N. Boury-Esnault.

Redescription: External morphology ( Fig. 5 View FIGURE 5 A). Ramified sponge, brown-purplish, 4 cm height, surface is hispid with thin, tangencial peel, clear detachable. Oscules can be seen at the tip of each small branch.

Skeleton ( Fig. 5 View FIGURE 5 B–C). Ectosome with auxiliary styles forming bouquets. Choanosome plumoreticulated containing well developed spongin fibers with principal styles and echinating acanthostyles. Fibres may form a polygonal matrix. Palmate isochelae seemingly randomly dispersed.

Spicules ( Fig. 6 View FIGURE 6 A–I). Megascleres. Principal styles ( Fig. 6 View FIGURE 6 A) smooth and stout, varying from straight to slightly curved (246- 312.5 -387 / 10- 13.8 -16 μm). Auxiliary subtylostyles I ( Fig. 6 View FIGURE 6 B), normally straight, smooth, lengthy and with a poorly defined base (267- 312 -351 / 3- 5 -6 μm). Auxiliary subtylostyles II ( Fig. 6 View FIGURE 6 C), smooth, thin, varying from straight to curved and with a slightly bulbous base (90- 118.9 -141 / 1.5- 2.4 -3μm). Accessory acanthostyles ( Fig. 6 View FIGURE 6 G), straight, some with a flattened base, irregularly acanthose, straight or bent spines, curved spines concentrated in the median (57- 62.4 -69 / 5.1- 5.8 -6μm). Microscleres. Toxas I (‘accolada’- type) ( Fig. 6 View FIGURE 6 H), rare, not observed in SEM, long, thin, slightly curved in the middle and with straight endings (321- 432 -522 / 1 μm). Toxas II ( Fig. 6 View FIGURE 6 I), are longer, thin, strongly curved and some with extremities slightly lifted (108- 142.6 -216 / 1.5 μm). Palmate isochelae ( Fig. 6 View FIGURE 6 J), rather narrow, but otherwise of quite usual shape, very little size variation and abundant ( 10- 11.7 -13.5μm).

Distribution. Corumbau District, Bahia State, Brazil.

Depth. 27 m

Remarks. In the process of redescribing this species it was noticed an additional spicules category. Spicular nomeclature was used as it is found in Hooper (1996). The auxiliary styles described by Boury-Esnault (1973) were divided into two categories of auxiliary subtylostyles varying size and shape ( Figure 6 View FIGURE 6 B–C, Table 2). Beside this, it was observed that some spicules dimensions were different from the ones in the original description (see Table 2). It was noted, as well, that toxas I were much more rare and toxas II had a wide range of sizes and shapes ( Figure 6 View FIGURE 6 H–I).