Haliclona durdong, 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 : 102-106

Haliclona durdong sp. nov.

( Figs. 1–3 )

Holotype. Australia, Western Australia, Hamelin Bay (34°13.603'S, 115°00.842'E), 7m, D. Abdo, SCUBA, 23/02/ 2005 ( WAM Z28838).

Paratypes. Australia: Western Australia: 1 specimen, Roe Reef (31°58.430'S, 115°32.213'E), 13m, J. Fromont, SCUBA, 8/11/2013 ( WAM Z68530) ; 1 specimen, Abraham Point, Rottnest Island (32°00.25'S, 115° 28.02'S), 15 m, AIMS divers, SCUBA, 14/03/1989 , NCI specimen Q66C 2670 S ( WAM Z28841) ; 1 specimen, Cosy Corner, Hamelin Bay (34°15.540’S, 115°01.467’E), 5m, R . Capon , SCUBA , 09/1980 ( WAM Z13491 ) ; 1 specimen, Point Henry, Bremer Bay (34°27.395’S, 119°25.175’E), 13m, D. Abdo, SCUBA, 24/06/2005 ( WAM Z37499) ; 2 specimens, Hamelin Bay (34°12.958'S, 115°00.553'E), 7m, D. Abdo, SCUBA, 24/02/2001 ( NMV F200910 exWAM Z68511 and SAM S1191 exWAM Z68512) ; 1 specimen, Horseshoe Reef, Rottnest Island (32°01.550'S, 115°32.700'E), 15m, C. Battershill, SCUBA, 26/1/2001 ( WAM Z68513) .

Other material. Australia: Western Australia: 2 specimens, Favourite Island, Jurien Bay (30°16.516’S, 114°58.062’E), 7m, D. Abdo, SCUBA, 28/02/2006 ( WAM Z37486 and WAM Z37487) ; 1 specimen, Point Henry, Bremer Bay (34°27.395’S, 119°25.175’E), 12m, D. Abdo, SCUBA, 24/06/2005 ( WAM Z37498) , 1 specimen, Hamelin Island, Hamelin Bay (34°13.603’S, 115°00.842’E), 7m, D. Abdo, SCUBA, 24/02/2005 ( WAM Z37492) ; 1 specimen, Crystal Palace, Rottnest Island (32°01.550’S, 115°32.700’E), 9m, D. Abdo, SCUBA, 25/01/2006 ( WAM Z37490) ; 1 specimen, Roe Reef, Rottnest Island (31°58.420’S, 115°32.210’E), 11m, D. Abdo, SCUBA, 25/ 01/2006 ( WAM Z37491) ; 1 specimen, Cosy Corner, Hamelin Bay (34°15.540’S, 115°01.467’E), 4m, D. Abdo, SCUBA, 23/02/2005 ( WAM Z37495) .

Diagnosis. Haliclona durdong sp. nov. is characterised by being erect or massive with wide apical oscules and well developed canals, compressible consistency but tearing and fragmenting easily, green throughout alive; no microscleres, slender oxeas as megascleres (mean 152.6 x 6.9 µm, n =280). Skeleton regular multispicular, isodictyal reticulation, spongin at nodes, spicules extend beyond surface to 80 µm. Ectosomal skeleton isodictyal, uni- or bispicular, spongin at nodes.

Description. Habit as in Figure 2 (b). Erect or massive sponges with wide funnel-like oscules and 1 to 3 basal attachment points. Dimensions of specimen (WAM Z28838): height ~ 100 mm, width ~ 130 mm, breadth ~ 90 mm. Oscules apical, wide, ~ 25 mm across and common. Surface smooth, with velvet appearance. Texture compressible, easily damaged, sponge pulls apart with minimal force.

Colour ( Figure 2 (b)): in the live state, green (Munsell 3.61 GY 1.94/3.54) throughout, in ethanol medium brown throughout.

General organization ( Figure 3 (b, d)): A thin outer ectosomal region (~ 50 µm wide) consists of compact mesohyl. Ectosomal skeleton isodictyal, uni- or bispicular, spongin at nodes, undifferentiated from choanosomal skeleton. Primary spicules extend beyond the surface to 80 µm. Subdermal spaces ~ 150 µm wide. Primary tracts multispicular cored by 2–5 spicules (≤ 30 µm wide) with spongin at nodes, tracts without fibre sheath, mesh spaces ~ 150 µm across (one spicule length). Secondary tracts isodictyal, unispicular, rarely bispicular, ≤ 15 µm wide, more commonly ≤ 10 µm wide. Skeleton a regular isodictyal reticulation, occasionally irregular and squaremeshed. Choanosome cavernous with large canals and numerous internal pores of various sizes 1–3 mm wide.

Spicules ( Figure 3 (f), Figure 4 ): Megascleres: oxeas slender, straight or slightly curved with hastate tips (152.6 x 6.9 µm, range 106–185 x 5–10 µm Table 1 ), thin, developmental forms present (~138 x 4 µm). No microscleres.

Larvae: Parenchymellae, cylindrical in form, tapering to the anterior and posterior, with a ciliated body and posterior flagellated band. Larvae first observed annually in March (Abdo et al. 2008a). The holotype specimen, WAM Z28838, is a reproductive female containing embryos.

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, and examined the type material of closely related species. The holotype of Chalinula camerata ( Ridley 1884) (BMNH1882.10.17.117), is a tiny, encrusting specimen with a very irregular skeleton, occasional multispicular tracts of loosely aggregated spicules parallel to the surface, no fibre development at the nodes of the reticulation, and the spicules are longer and thinner than in Haliclona durdong .

We examined specimens from the Houtman Abrolhos identified by Dendy and Frederick (1924) as Reniera cribricutis (BMNH1925.11.1.194), now Haliclona (Reniera) cribicutis ( Ridley and Dendy 1886) , and Reniera permollis (BMNH1925.11.1.200), now a synonym of Haliclona (R.) cinerea , respectively (Dendy and Frederick 1924). These specimens were very similar to each other and were not the same species as Haliclona durdong . Both these specimens were small, soft and porous, with small apical oscules (4 mm wide), and minimum fibre development around the spicules. The specimen identified as H. (R.) cribricutis has similar sized oxeas to Haliclona durdong but with mucronate tips, while in the specimen of H. (R.) permollis the spicules were smaller (120 x 3 µm).

Dendy & Frederick (1924) also recorded R. aquaeductus (BMNH1925.11.1.195), now Haliclona (Reniera) aquaeductus , from the Houtman Abrolhos, but this was a smooth, slender branching specimen without the wide funnels characteristic of Haliclona durdong . Specimens of R. aquaeductus (BMNH1882.2.23.284; 238-9; 297) identified by Ridley (1884) were also not the same as Haliclona durdong . These specimens were firm, incompressible and brittle in contrast to the compressible texture of Haliclona durdong . In contrast, the specimens of R. aquaeductus var. infundibularis (BMNH1887.5.2.228; 219) had a similar morphology to H. durdong forming wide, open tubes but these are very porous, soft and fragile, and the specimens lacked nodal fibre development, as well as being from Patagonia, a disjunct distribution to H. durdong . The type of Haliclona (Rhizoniera) australis ( Lendenfeld 1888) (AM Z2017) is an encrusting specimen 1 cm thick with much smaller skeletal mesh spaces and spicule sizes than H. durdong , as well as being red in colour alive. The above comparisons clearly demonstrate the morphological and skeletal differences that distinguish H. durdong from these similar species from nearby regions.

No Haliclona species described from Australia have the wide apical, flared oscules in conjunction with the compressible texture, development of fibre only at the nodes of the reticulation, and spicule sizes and morphology of Haliclona durdong sp. nov. We could find no described species of Haliclona with the unique characters of this species.

Haliclona durdong sp. nov. is viviparous, with both gonochoric and hermaphroditic individuals, and reproduces in the Austral summer (Abdo et al. 2008a). It is characterized by wide apical, funnel-like oscules and large internal canals, green colour, compressible texture, fibre only at the nodes of the skeletal reticulation, never forming sheaths, and ready fragmentation. The species is much more porous and softer than Haliclona djeedara and its skeleton is isodictyal rather than square-meshed. It consistently has longer spicules, up to 20 µm in maximum length than H. djeedara , which has shorter, thicker oxeas ( Figure 4 ).

This species conforms to the subgenus Haliclona based on the regular isodictyal reticulation, and the consistent spongin at the nodes of the reticulation. 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 durdong 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 45 m depth on limestone rock and south of 30º latitude.

Etymology. This species name is a Nyoongar word meaning green. The specific name is a noun in apposition describing the colour of the species. The Nyoongar peoples are the traditional owners of the 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).