Haliclona (Gellius) concreta, Bispo & Willenz & Hajdu, 2022

Bispo, André, Willenz, Philippe & Hajdu, Eduardo, 2022, Diving into the unknown: fourteen new species of haplosclerid sponges (Demospongiae: Haplosclerida) revealed along the Peruvian coast (Southeastern Pacific), Zootaxa 5087 (2), pp. 201-252 : 221-223

Haliclona (Gellius) concreta sp. nov.

( Figure 5 , Table 3 , Table 5 )

Holotype. MNRJ 11274 (Vouchers: RBINS-IG 32239 -POR 11274, MHNG 85276 )— Isla Tortuga, Casma , Ancash Region (09°22’37.56” S, 78°26’20.40” W), depth 6 m, Ph. Willenz & Y. Hooker (23/IX/2007) . Paratypes. MNRJ 11262 (Vouchers: RBINS-IG 32239 -POR 11262, MHNG 85265 )— Isla Tortuga, Casma , Ancash Region (09°22’37.56” S, 78°26’20.40” W), depth 6 m, coll. E. Hajdu (23/IX/2007) ; MNRJ 13647 (Vouchers: RBINS-IG 32241 -POR 13647, MHNG 85886 )— Peña Negras , off Matacaballos , Bahía de Sechura, Piura Region (05°36’52.80” S, 80°50’28.20” W), depth 8 m, coll. Y. Hooker (05/XII/2009) . Additional material deposited in collections. MNRJ 11318 (Vouchers: RBINS-IG 32239 -POR 11318, MHNG 85319 )— Puerto Chicama , Islas Macabi, La Libertad Region (07°48’31.7” S, 79°29’50.6” W), depth 5 m, coll. Ph. Willenz & Y. Hooker (30/IX/2007) ; MNRJ 11362 (Vouchers: RBINS-IG 32239 -POR 11362, MHNG 85360 )— Bajo El Chile, Islas Lobos de Afuera, Lambayeque Region (06°55’18.0” S, 80°43’13.6” W), depth 8 m, coll. E. Hajdu (05/X/2007) .

Diagnosis. The only Haliclona in the Eastern Pacific with a combination of lilac-grey colour alive, oxeas up to 324 µm long, and sigmas and toxas as microscleres, in a single category each.

Description ( Fig. 5A, B ). Encrusting sponge, up to 7 mm thick, up to 20 cm wide. Surface optically smooth, commonly covered by small patches of turf. Oscula, circular to oval, 1–6 mm wide, flush with the surface, or at the top of small elevations or tubular projections, 6–8 mm high. Consistency hard, firm, just slightly compressible. Colour alive greyish lilac.

Skeleton ( Fig. 5C, D ). No specialized ectosomal skeleton. Choanosome a confused isotropic reticulation, becoming denser towards its inner parts. Spongin scarce.

Spicules ( Fig. 5E–J ). Oxeas mostly slightly curved, sharp acerate points, some modified to styles, 190– 257 – 324 x 2.9– 10. 9–15.2 µm ( Fig. 5I, J ). Toxas, rare, in a single category with a rather variable degree of shaft curvature, with recurved apices, 19– 41 –73 x 0.2– 1.4 –2.9 µm ( Fig. 5E, F ). Sigmas, variable in abundance, in a single category, C-shaped, few with straight shaft, 5.4– 7.6 –9.2 x 0.4– 0.7 –1.0 µm ( Fig. 5G, H ). Complete measurements are given in Table 5 .

Ecology. Occurring on rocky substrate in the shallow subtidal, from 4.5–7.5 m deep. Water temperature during collection of MNRJ 11262 and 11274 was 13° C.

Distribution ( Fig. 3B ). Only known from Bahía de Sechura (Piura Region), Islas Macabi (La Libertad Region), Islas Lobos de Afuera (Lambayeque Region) and Isla Tortuga (Ancash Region), in Peru.

Etymology. The specific epithet, “ concreta ” (from the L. concretus = hardened, stiff), is used as a noun in apposition and highlights the hard consistency of the new species.

Remarks. The isotropic, confused skeleton in combination with large-sized oxeas and toxas as microscleres warrants a confident assignment of this species to Haliclona (Gellius) sensu de Weerdt (2002) . The single haplosclerid species in the Eastern Pacific with a similar spicular complement of oxeas, sigmas and toxas is Oceanapia microtoxa Desqueyroux-Faúndez & van Soest, 1997 from the Galápagos ( Table 3 ). Nevertheless, this species has longer oxeas that could reach up to 549 µm, sigmas in three categories that are always larger in size in comparison to the new species, and toxas in two categories ( Desqueyroux-Faúndez & van Soest 1997). These features set both species apart. In our opinion, Oceanapia microtoxa is better assigned to Haliclona (Flagellia) as its sigmas 1 bear the characteristic flagellosigma shape sensu van Soest (2017), the type material lacks the characteristic fistules of Oceanapia , and it has an irregular choanosomal skeleton with irregular multispicular tracts. The presence of these tracts in H. (Flagellia) microtoxa comb. nov. is shared with Haliclona (Flagellia) indonesiae van Soest, 2017 , and both their choanosomal skeletons appear to be less regular than that of typical Oceanapia redescribed in detail by de Weerdt (1985), such as O. robusta (Bowerbank, 1866) and O. isodictyiformis (Carter, 1882) .

Haliclona (Gellius) tenerrima Burton, 1954 is another closely-related species, presenting a greyish colour, oxeas, sigmas and toxas of similar shape and within the same range ( de Weerdt 2000). However, H. (G.) concreta sp. nov. has a hard consistency, and a more confused isotropic skeleton in opposition to the soft and fragile consistency, and a loosely organized skeleton of paucispicular primary lines irregularly connected by secondary lines in H. (G.) tenerrima . Furthermore, H. (G.) concreta sp. nov. is a conspicuous species, that sometimes can expand up to 20 cm laterally, reach up to 7 mm in thickness, and bear oscula of 1–6 mm wide, whilst H. (G.) tenerrima is a cryptic species, less than 1 cm in diameter, only up to 2 mm thick, and without visible oscula, at least when preserved ( de Weerdt 2002). In addition, H. (G.) tenerrima is a tropical Western Atlantic species, making conspecificity very unlikely.

The other three Haliclona (Gellius) spp. known to occur in the Eastern Pacific are H. (G.) laubenfelsi van Soest & Hooper, 2020 , from Hawaii and Clipperton Island; H. (G.) perforata ( Wilson, 1904) from Panama; and H. (G.) textapatina ( de Laubenfels, 1926) from off Santa Cruz, California ( Table 3 ). Haliclona (G.) concreta sp. nov. is easily distinguished from H. (G.) laubenfelsi by dimensions of the oxeas, that are 190–324 µm long in the former, whereas H. (G.) laubenfelsi has small oxeas 93–140 µm long ( van Soest et al. 2011). Haliclona (G.) concreta sp. nov. is set apart from H. (G.) perforata and H. (G.) textapatina due to its smaller sigmas (5.4–9.2 x 0.4–1.0 µm), and presence of toxas, in opposition to H. (G.) perforata and H. (G.) textapatina larger sigmas (18 x 2 µm and 50–80 x 2–4 µm, respectively), and absence of toxas ( Wilson 1904; de Laubenfels 1926).

Figures

FIGURE 3. Map showing the geographic distribution of Peruvian haplosclerids. A, distribution of Chalinula chelysa sp. nov.; B, distribution of Chalinula ramiculosa sp. nov. and Haliclona (G.) concreta sp nov.; C, distribution of H. (Halich.) arequipaensis sp. nov., H. (Halich.) multiosculata sp. nov. and H. (Halich.) marcoriosi sp. nov.; D, distribution of H. (Halich.) paracas sp. nov., H. (Halich.) pellucida sp. nov. and (Reniera) parvuloxea sp. nov.; E, distribution of H. (Rhizoniera) spp. nov.; F, distribution of Niphates ruthecitae sp. nov. and Pachychalina lupusapia sp. nov.

FIGURE 5. Haliclona (Gellius) concreta sp. nov. A–B, holotype alive (MNRJ 11274); C, skeletal architecture in transverse ground section (from MNRJ 11274, holotype); D, detail of C; E–F, toxas (from MNRJ 11274 and MNRJ 13647, respectively); G–H, sigmas (from MNRJ 11274 and MNRJ 13647, respectively); I–J, oxeas (MNRJ 11274). Scale bars: A–B, 2 cm; C, 500 µm; D, 200 µm; E–F, I–J, 20 µm; G–H, 5 µm.