Lelapiella nodusgordii, (POLEJAEFF, 1883), La

Klautau, Michelle, Lopes, Matheus Vieira, Tavares, Gabriela & Pérez, Thierry, 2022, Integrative taxonomy of calcareous sponges (Porifera: Calcarea) from Réunion Island, Indian Ocean, Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 194, pp. 671-725 : 693

LEUCALTIS NODUSGORDII ( POLÉJAEFF, 1883)

( FIGS 13 , 14 ; TABLE 6)

Synonyms: Heteropegma nodusgordii Poléjaeff, 1883: 45 (only the Torres Strait specimens); von Lendenfeld, 1885: 1107 (only the Australian specimens); Dendy, 1892: 113; Dendy, 1905: 230; Jenkin, 1908: 453. Leucaltis bathybia var. mascarenica Ridley, 1884: 628 (to be confirmed). Clathrina latitubulata Carter, 1886: 515 (to be confirmed). Heteropegma latitubulata Dendy, 1892: 114 (to be confirmed). Leucaltis clathria Dendy, 1913: 16 ; Dendy & Frederick, 1924: 483; Hôzawa, 1940: 136; Tanita, 1943: 393; Lévi, 1998: 75; Wörheide & Hooper, 1999: 876; Borojević & Klautau, 2000: 190. Leuconia paloensis (non Tanita, 1943), Colin & Arneson, 1995: 61; Gosliner et al., 1996: 17; Erhardt & Baensch, 1998: 21. Leucaltis nodusgordii Van Soest & De Voogd, 2015: 39, 2018: 66 .

Type locality: Torres Strait , Australia .

M a t e r i a l e x a m i n e d: U F R J P O R 8 9 3 0 (= 171109- PAE2 - TP4 ). Photos : TP6029–6039. Passe de l’Hermitage Reef, La Réunion, Indian Ocean, coll. T. Pérez, 9 November 2017, 18– 20 m depth .

Colour: White alive and light beige after fixation ( Fig. 13A, B ).

Morphology and anatomy: Sponge formed by large, individualized, anastomosed tubes ( Fig. 13A, B ). Each tube has its own cortex. Oscula located at the top of elevated tubes ( Fig. 13A, B ). The specimen was full of reproductive elements ( Fig. 13C, D ). The aquiferous system is composed of irregular, elongated and ramified choanocyte chambers ( Fig. 13D ). There is a thick cortex composed of large triactines and tetractines, tangential to the surface ( Fig. 13D, E ). The choanosome has few spicules, tiny triactines and tetractines ( Fig. 13D ). The apical actine of the cortical tetractines penetrates the choanosome and, sometimes, the atrium. The atrial skeleton is composed of tiny triactines and tetractines ( Fig. 13F ).

Figures

Figure 13. Leucaltis nodusgordii. (UFRJPOR 8930). A, specimen in vivo. B, fixed specimen. C, choanosome full of yellow reproductive elements. D, cross-section (arrow points to a reproductive element). E, tangential section of the cortex. F, tangential section of the atrial wall. cx = cortex, at = atrium.

Figure 14. Leucaltis nodusgordii. (UFRJPOR 8930). A, cortical triactine. B, cortical tetractine. C, regular choanosomal triactine. D, sagittal choanosomal or atrial triactine. E, regular choanosomal tetractine. F, sagittal choanosomal or atrial tetractine.