Haliclona djeedara, Fromont & Abdo, 2014

Fromont, Jane & Abdo, David A., 2014, New species of Haliclona (Demospongiae: Haplosclerida: Chalinidae) from Western Australia, Zootaxa 3835 (1), pp. 97-109 : 99-102

Haliclona djeedara sp. nov.

( Figs. 1–3 )

Material examined. Holotype. Australia, Western Australia, Hamelin Bay (34°13.603'S, 115°00.842'E), 7m, D. Abdo, SCUBA, 23/02/2005 ( WAM Z28839).

Paratypes. Australia: Western Australia: 1 specimen, Roe Reef (31°58.430'S, 115°32.213'E), 13m, J. Fromont, SCUBA, 8/11/2013 ( WAM Z68531) ; 1 specimen, Cape Vlamingh, Rottnest Island , (32°01.230'S, 115° 26.800'S), 12 m, AIMS divers, SCUBA, 13/03/1989 , NCI specimen Q66C 2640 L ( WAM Z28840) ; 1 specimen, Crystal Palace, Rottnest Island (32°01.550’S, 115°32.700'E), 11m, D. Abdo, SCUBA, 25/01/2006 ( WAM Z37488) ; 1 specimen, Favourite Island, Jurien Bay (30°16.823'S, 115°00.136'E), 6m, D. Abdo, SCUBA, 26/02/ 2006 ( WAM Z37484) ; 3 specimens, Hamelin Bay (34°12.958'S, 115°00.553'E), 8m, S. Whalan, SCUBA, 13/11/ 2001 ( NMV F200909 exWAM Z68508, SAM S1190 exWAM Z68509 and WAM Z68510) .

Other material. Australia: Western Australia: 1 specimen, Roe Reef, Rottnest Island (31°58.420’S, 115°32.210’E), 10m, D. Abdo, SCUBA, 25/01/2006 ( WAM Z37489) ; 2 specimens, Dillion Bay, Bremer Bay (34°27.216’S, 119°19.842’E), 16.5m, D. Abdo, SCUBA, 25/06/2005 ( WAM Z37496 and Z37497) ; 2 specimens, Hamelin Island, Hamelin Bay (34°13.603'S, 115°00.842'E), 5m, D. Abdo, SCUBA, 24/02/2005 ( WAM Z37493 and Z37494) ; 1 specimen, Favourite Island, Jurien Bay (30°16.823'S, 115°00.136'E), 5m, D. Abdo, SCUBA, 28/ 02/2006 ( WAM Z37485) .

Diagnosis. Haliclona djeedara sp. nov. is characterised by being erect with interconnected lobes and apical oscules; firm, compressible and springy texture with large internal canals, and brown throughout alive; no microscleres, and short, thick, hastate oxeas as megascleres (mean 137 x 7.4 µm, n =260). Skeleton a dense regular square-meshed to isodictyal reticulation with fibre development, spicules extend beyond surface to 150 µm. Ectosomal skeleton isodictyal, uni- or bispicular with spongin sheath.

Description. Habit as in Figure 2 (a). Erect sponges, supported by multiple or single, short stalks. Main body is ficiform to lobate, frequently with multiple lobes. Dimensions of specimen (WAM Z28839: height ~ 120 mm, short stalk ~ 20 mm, width ~ 140 mm, breadth ~ 120 mm. Oscules apical, numerous, variable in size 2–10 mm wide, either flush with the surface or with raised rims ≤ 5 mm high. Surface smooth and finely porous, sticky and adherent to touch. Texture firm, compressible, springy.

Colour ( Figure 2 (a)): in the live state, brown to beige (Munsell 2.78 YR 6.15/4.14) throughout, in ethanol light to medium brown exterior, fawn interior.

General organization ( Figure 3 (a, c)): A narrow outer ectosomal region (~ 50 µm wide) consists of compact mesohyl with some subdermal spaces 100–150 µm wide. Primary tracts beneath surface are multispicular, cored by ≤6 spicules (≤ 50 µm thick), and form brushes at right angles to the surface. Spicules extend beyond the surface from 50 to 150 µm. Ectosomal skeleton isodictyal, uni- or bispicular with spongin sheath, undifferentiated from choanosomal skeleton. Choanosome dense and compact, a regular square-meshed to isodictyal reticulation, spongin sheath clearly visible around all fibres. Occasional internal canals (1000 µm across) throughout mesohyl. Primary fibres cored by 1–6 spicules and ≤ 35 µm wide, mesh spaces ≤ 140 µm across (one spicule length). Secondary fibres unispicular, occasionally bispicular, ~ 10 µm thick, with spongin sheath.

Spicules ( Figure 3 (e), Figure 4 ): Megascleres: oxeas short, thick, straight or slightly curved tapering to symmetrical hastate tips (137 x 7.4 µm, range 111–161 x 4–11 µm Table 1 ), tips can be variable with acerate, conical and mucronate forms occurring. Thin, developmental forms present (~118 x 3 µm). No microscleres.

Larvae: Parenchymellae, cylindrical in form, slightly tapering to the posterior end, on average 100 µm larger than Haliclona durdong sp. nov. with a uniformly heavily ciliated body and lacking a posterior flagellated band. Larvae first observed annually in February (Abdo et al. 2008a).

Remarks. We compared this species to descriptions of all Haliclona species listed as present in Australia (http://www.environment.gov.au/biodiversity/abrs/online-resources/fauna/afd/taxa/CERACTINOMORPHA/names) as well as additional species from southern Indonesia and the Western Indian Ocean ( Spalding et al. 2007), and examined the type material of closely related species. The holotype of Haliclona (Haliclona) flabellodigitata Burton, 1934 (Burton 1934) (BMNH30.8.13.167) has pronounced fibre development similar to Haliclona djeedara but fibre meshes are twice as wide> 200 µm compared to the predominantly ≤ 140 µm meshes of Haliclona djeedara . In addition the oxeas are much thinner (4 µm compared to> 7 µm). As a result of the wide meshes in H. (H.) flabellodigitata it has a much softer consistency than Haliclona djeedara .

Other Haliclona species described from the temperate Australasian region do not have the solid lobate to ficiform morphology in conjunction with the pronounced fibre development of Haliclona djeedara . For example the holotypes of Haliclona (Reniera) clathrata (Dendy 1895) (NMV G2331, RN1185) and H. corticata ( Lendenfeld 1887) (AM G8999) lacked fibre development except at the nodes of the skeletal reticulation. H. fryetti (Dendy 1895) (NMV G2357, RN1141 and G2358, RN1183) was described as being dark brown in colour but this species only has spongin at the nodes of the reticulation and smaller, thinner oxeas (115 x 5 µm) with mucronate ends. We examined type specimens of H. proxima (Dendy, 1895) (NMV G2402, RN288 and G2403, RN1191), now a junior synonym of H. digitata ( Lendenfeld, 1887) , which was described as having a palmodigitate morphology but has longer, thicker oxeas with mucronate ends, and minute oscules compared to the large oscules (2–10 mm) of H. djeedara . H. punctata Bergquist & Warne (1980) is described with multispicular fibres but it is an encrusting species with very small thin oxeas (96 x 3 µm). The above comparisons clearly demonstrate the morphological and skeletal differences that distinguish Haliclona djeedara from these similar species from nearby regions.

Haliclona djeedara is viviparous and gonochoric, reproducing in the Austral summer (Abdo et al. 2008a). It is characterized by numerous large apical oscules, brown colour and a more dense and compact mesohyl than Haliclona durdong , with a consequent compressible and springy texture. This species has a distinctive, regular, compact square-meshed reticulate skeleton with fibre development in the form of spongin sheaths around both primary and secondary tracts. The primary fibres are multispicular, the secondaries usually unispicular. The oxeas are consistently up to 20 µm shorter than H. durdong ( Figure 4 ). H. djeedara also has a distinctive sticky and adherent surface not seen in H. durdong .

This new species conforms to the subgenus Haliclona based on the regular square-meshed reticulation, the substantial amount of spongin in the skeleton and the unispicular secondary tracts. The consistent multispicular nature of the primary lines is less usual for the subgenus and future molecular characterization of the species would support or refute this subgenus assignment.

Distribution and habitat. Haliclona djeedara sp. nov. is found in temperate rocky reef habitats in south Western Australia from Jurien Bay in the north to Bremer Bay in the south. This is apparently an Australian west coast endemic species occurring in shallow water from 3 to 30 m depth on limestone rock and south of 30º latitude.

Etymology. This species name is a Nyoongar word meaning brown. The specific name is a noun in apposition describing the colour of the species. The Nyoongar peoples are the traditional owners of south Western Australia where this species occurs.

Figures

FIGURE 1. Locations where Haliclona djeedara sp. nov. and Haliclona durdong sp. nov. have been reported.

FIGURE 2. Underwater images of (a) Haliclona djeedara sp. nov. (WAM Z28839), and (b) Haliclona durdong sp. nov. (WAM Z28838). Images taken by D. Abdo at Hamelin Bay, 7m on 23/02/2005.

FIGURE 3. Light micrographs of the choanosomal skeleton (a, b), ectosomal skeleton (c, d), and spicules (e, f) of Haliclona djeedara sp. nov. (a—WAM Z37484, c and e—WAM Z28839) and Haliclona durdong sp. nov. (b and f—WAM Z37495, d—WAM Z28838). Light micrographs taken by O. Gomez.

FIGURE 4. Comparison of mean spicule width and lengths (± 1 standard error) based on 20 measurements (for each specimen). Green symbols are Haliclona durdong sp. nov. and brown symbols are Haliclona djeedara sp. nov. square represent specimens from Jurien Bay, triangles are specimens from Rottnest Island, crosses are specimens from Hamelin Bay, and circles are specimens from Bremer Bay (see Table 1).