Suberites latus Lambe, 1893

Austin, William C., Ott, Bruce S., Reiswig, Henry M., Romagosa, Paula & G, Neil, 2014, Taxonomic review of Hadromerida (Porifera, Demospongiae) from British Columbia, Canada, and adjacent waters, with the description of nine new species, Zootaxa 3823 (1), pp. 1-84 : 60-63

Suberites latus Lambe, 1893

Fig. 23

Suberites latus Lambe, 1893b .

Lee et al. 2007: Key 16 Suberites montalbidus of Lambe, 1895. Ficulina suberea var. lata de Laubenfels, 1932.

Choanites suberea var. lata de Laubenfels, 1961.

Suberites domuncula ( Olivi, 1792) ficus of Koltun 1966. Suberites ficus ( Johnston, 1842) of Bakus & Green 1987.

Material examined. NOAA 0 27212, Boulder Patch, Stefansson Sd., Beaufort Sea, Alaska, (70º 19.25'N, 147º 35.1'W), 6 m depth, no date, 1 specimen; NOAA 0 22120, Chukchi Sea, South Alaska, (65º 45.50'N, 167º 50.00'W), no depth, no date, 1 specimen; NOAA 0 18307, Bering Sea, Alaska, (65º 16.0'N, 166º 36.0'W), 12.7 m depth, no date; KML 1080, PBS sta. 63, 74, Kodiak, Alaska, (58º 07.8'N, 150º 51.0'W), 126 m depth, Aug. 31, 1963, coll. PBS, 1 specimen; KML 1082, PBS sta. 69, 11, S. of Rose Spit, Graham I., BC, (54º 10.3'N, 131º 5.5'W), 17 m depth, Jun. 1969, coll. PBS, 2 specimens; KML 1081, 16 km SW Archibald, BC, (approx. 54º 06'N, 131º 06'W), May 16, 1964, coll. PBS/JAT, 4 specimens; KML 1083, KML sta. 77/76, Skincuttle Inlet, BC, (52º 19.8'N, 131º 12.4'W), 150 m depth, Sept. 1, 1976, coll. W.C. Austin, 2 specimens; RBCM 780-267, Nakwakto Rapids, BC, (51º 06'N, 127º 30'W), 1 specimen; KML 1084, KML sta. 63, 3, Malcolm I., BC, (50º 37.7'N, 127º 01.8'W), 60 m depth, Jan. 12, 1963, coll. D.B. Quayle, 10 specimens; KML 1085, PBS sta. N-7, Lawn Point, Haida Gwaii, BC, (approx. 53º 25'N, 131º 55'W), Beacon bearing 243º, 28 m depth, Aug. 25, 1960, coll. D.B. Quayle, 1 specimen; KML 1090, KML sta. 70/75, Thiepval Channel, Barkley Sd., BC, (48º 54.2'N, 125º 19.7'W), 22 m depth, May 16, 1975, coll. W.C. Austin, 1 specimen; KML 1089, KML sta. 160/75, W. Satellite Passage, BC, (approx. 48º 52'N, 125º 11'W), no depth, 1975, coll. W.C. Austin, 1 specimen; KML 1087, KML sta. 105/76, N of Diana I., Barkley Sd., BC, (48º 51.1'N, 125º 11.9'W), 22–31 m depth, Jul. 8, 1976, coll. W.C. Austin, 1 specimen; KML 1102, KML sta. 67/87, Barkley Sd., BC, (approx. 48o 51'N, 125o 14'W), no depth, Jul. 19, 1987, coll. W.C. Austin, 1 specimen; KML 1088, KML sta. 261/72, off Barkley Sd., BC, (48º 47'N, 125º 34'W), 66 m depth, Aug. 15, 1976, coll. W.C. Austin, 1 specimen; KML 1091, KML sta. 63/68, Saltspring I., BC, (48º 42.6'N, 123º 29.2'W), 45 m depth, Aug. 25, 1963, coll. W.C. Austin, 1 specimen; KML 1086, KML sta. 201/76, W side Gilbert I., Barkley Sd., BC, (38º 52.0'N, 125º 19.8' W), 9 m depth, Nov. 24, 1971, coll. W.C. Austin, 1 specimen.

Field images, no vouchers: Welcome Passage, BC, (approx. 49º 30'N, 123º 56'W), 2 photos, N. McDaniel; Howe Sd., BC, (approx. 49º 25'N, 123º 23'W), 2 photos, N. McDaniel; Port Hardy, BC, (approx. 48º 45'N, 127º 28'W), photo, N. McDaniel.

Description. Macroscopic features. ( Fig. 23 A, B, C). Body form ranges from thin crust on a snail shell to massive amorphous forms up to 10 cm long by 4 cm high by 6 cm wide. Individuals almost always contain one hermit crab ( Pagurus stevensae Hart, 1971 ). Oscula sparse, flush with the surface, 2–3 mm in diameter in preserved samples. In life a firm rubbery consistency which is smooth to the touch. Brownish yellow to brownish red-orange in life.

Microscopic features. ( Fig. 23 D). Ectosome with dense layer of relatively short tylostyles aligned normal to surface; pointed ends extend less than 0.1 mm beyond surface. Choanosome with irregularly distributed, relatively long tylostyles.

Spicules. Megascleres are two size classes of tylostyles, data given from KML 1085. Tylostyles 1 (shorter, Fig. 23 F) are restricted to ectosome. Tylostyles 2 (longer, Fig. 23 E) occur in both ectosome and choanosome. Both long and short tylostyles may be straight ( Fig. 23 F) but are generally curved or sinuous ( Fig. 23 E). The tyle is symmetrical or sometimes tilted to one side. It is occasionally lobed or expanded below the apex which is then styloid.

Tylostyles terminating at the cavity containing the hermit crab are strongylote rather than oxeote ( Fig. 23 G). We also measured large tylostyle lengths of seven specimens from southern BC to 2500 km north off Kodiak (Alaska) ( Table 13 ).

Microscleres are choanosomal centrotylote strongyles ( Figs. 23 H–I) or oxeas; common, rare or apparently absent. In our material shaft is microspined; may be thick (5 µm) or thin (2.5 µm); tyle may occasionally be excentric. KML 1085 except for those with * which are from KML 1102.

Location Spicule Type Fig. Length Width Ectosome Tylostyle 1 23F 103–(130)–153 5.0–(6.9)–10.0 Tylostyle 2 23E 203–(261)–360 5.0–(8.4)–12.5 Choanosome Tylostyle 2 23E 218–(300)–345 5.0–(7.4)–10.0

Centrotylote strongyles 23H, I 20 –(29)–60 N=12

18–(23)–33 N=25*

Remarks. Lambe (1895) commented that his rationale ( Lambe 1893b) for considering S. latus a distinct species was based on the absence of centrotylote strongyles. He subsequently found one or two of these spicules in some of the specimens he had named S. latus . He concluded that S. latus was, therefore, not distinct from S. suberea ( Montagu, 1818) . De Laubenfels (1932) pointed out that the tylostyles of Lambe’s specimens were on average longer (294–524 µm) than those of S. suberea ( Montagu 1818) in British seas, and recommended that Ficulina suberea latus be retained as a subspecies.

Lambe (1893b) stated that his specimens included two size classes of tylostyles; the larger ranging from 294–524 µm x 13 µm, and the smaller averaging 170 µm x 9 µm. The larger tylostyles are about 1/3 longer than the longest in specimens examined by us ( Table 13 ). Lambe’s specimens came from localities off northern Vancouver I. and the adjacent mainland. Five of the specimens in Table 13 came from 20 to 200 km of the localities reported by Lambe.

In 1895 Lambe reported on 60 specimens from Alaska. He stated that the maximum length of the tylostyles for these was 406 µm. This size is much closer to those we provide in Table 13 which also includes two specimens from Alaska.

De Laubenfels (1961) reported Choanites suberea var. lata as common and frequently occurring on hermit crab shells in the vicinity of Friday Harbor, Washington. He reported tylostyles ranging from 5 µm x 280 Μm to 6 µm x 180 µm (a misprint for 380 or 480?) and centrotylote microstrongyles 24 µm long.

We compared our specimens with those reported from central and southern California. De Laubenfels (1932) gave spicule measurements for two specimens from central and southern California as 70 µm x 5 µm to 590 µm x 12 µm. He does not state whether hermit crabs or their cavities were present.

Bakus & Green (1987) described a sponge from 183 m off Pt. Conception, California. It was growing on a gastropod shell. It had two classes of tylostyles 190–(424)–680 µm x 7 –(09)–11 µm and 120–(413)–657 µm x 1 –(3)–4 µm and centrotylote strongyles 20–(30)–48 µm by 1–(2)–2.5 µm. They considered it as a member of S. ficus . The mean and maximum length of the tylostyles are 30% and 75% greater than the maximum mean and maximum longest lengths we measured in BC material.

Lee et al. (2007) described Suberites latus from southern to northern California as subtidal and often associated with a hermit crab or mollusk shell. The tylostyle range was from 90–(197–321)–680 µm x 2.5–5.1–(8.6)–12 µm. Centrotylote strongyles were rare. They ranged from 12.3–(21.2–28.5)–56 µm. The maximum length of the tylostyles was again 75% longer (680 µm) than the longest found by us (394 µm).

De Laubenfels (1935) described Suberites mineri from the surveys of the Albatross during 1911 off Baja California. No data were recorded on precise locality or depth, and while the Albatross was working off the Baja California coast, stations ranged from the intertidal to depths of 3200 m (Anon. 1921). According to de Laubenfels, microstrongyles were abundant, ranging from 18–36 µm in length, but tylostyles were of one kind only, averaging 340 µm by 10 µm. He found no small cortical tylostyles which would preclude the species from membership in the genus Suberites as defined by van Soest (2002) in the Systema Porifera. One of our reviewers commented that the species was common on the flat bottoms of the Mexican Pacific area; but if its spicule complement is as described by de Laubenfels, it is not closely related to Suberites latus .

Is S. latus a distinct species, or a subspecies of a cosmopolitan S. ficus? The types and size range of spicules given by van Soest (2002) for S. ficus (small tylostyles 100–250 µm, large tylostyles 350–500 x 5–10 µm, centrotylote microstrongyles 15–50 µm) approximate those in S. latus from the NE Pacific. Van Soest (2002) further observed that the large tylostyles of S. ficus occur in a wide size range. This is comparable to the wide variation in maximum size reported above by various authors for S. latus . Solé-Cava & Thorpe (1986) reported that three morphotypes of S. ficus from the Irish Sea had spicule types and mean sizes which were indistinguishable. However, they had significant genetic differences which, since they were sympatric, indicated genetic isolation. They concluded that the morphotypes represent three separate species within a S. ficus complex. Van Soest (2002) agreed that S. ficus is very likely to be a complex of sibling species.

Conclusions. Van Soest et al. (2012) consider S. latus to be a valid species separate from S. ficus (World Porifera Database, consulted November 2012). We concur and suggest that all sponges with hermit crabs, two size classes of tylostyles and centrotylote strongyles from southern California to Alaska are members of a S. latus species complex. The two Suberites latus populations from southern to central California, and BC to Alaska may represent sibling species. This species complex would be a good candidate for DNA bar coding.

Bathymetric range. 6–183 m depth.

Geographic distribution. Southern California to the Bering Sea (Alaska, USA) and possibly north.

Ecology. The association of Suberites latus with Pagurus stevensae provides the hermit crab with a home which can be enlarged as it grows. The mobile sponge can range beyond rock substrate onto soft or unconsolidated sediment. The styloid ends of those tylostyles ending at the hermit crab canal may be responsible for the slippery surface which could aid the rapid retreat of the hermit crab from predators. The gastropod shell on which the sponge initially settled has disappeared in larger sponges (de Laubenfels 1961 and pers. observation).

Figures

FIGURE 23. Suberites latus Lambe, 1893. A, B, typical smooth surface morph, scale bar approx. 1 cm; C, rough surface morph, scale bar approx. 1 cm; D, section normal to surface, scale bar 1 mm; E, curved tylostyle; F, straight tylostyle; G, tylostrongyle; H, I, fat and thin acanthose centrotylote strongyles, scale bars E – I, 10 µm.

Tables

TABLE 13. Range and maximum size of large tylostyles of Suberites latus Lambe, 1893, from a variety of locations from southern BC to Kodiak Alaska.

Registration Numbers	Location in BC	Tylostyle length Μm N=20
KML 1102	Barkley Sound, BC; shallow	288–(311)–345
KML 1090	Thiepval Channel, Barkley Sound, BC; 22m	269–(318)–394
KML 1087	Diana I, Barkley Sound; BC; 30m	288–(331)–365
KML 1085	Lawn Point, BC: 28m	211–(250)–307
KML 1084	Malcolm Island, BC; 60m	278–(324)–355
KML 1080	Kodiak, AK; 126m	307–(336)–374
KML 1080A	Kodiak, AL.; 90m	269–(308)–336