Svenzea flava ( Lehnert & van Soest, 1999 )

Ugalde, Diana, Fernandez, Julio C. C., Gómez, Patricia, Lôbo-Hajdu, Gisele & Simões, Nuno, 2021, An update on the diversity of marine sponges in the southern Gulf of Mexico coral reefs, Zootaxa 5031 (1), pp. 1-112 : 62

Svenzea flava ( Lehnert & van Soest, 1999)

Tables 6, 7; Figs. 56A–D , 58K

Synonymy: Pseudaxinella (?) flava Lehnert & van Soest (1999: 151) ; Svenzea flava : present study.

Type locality. Jamaica .

Material examined. CNPGG-2479, Bajos del Norte (23.2421°N, 88.7147°W), 12.5 m depth, coll. Diana Ugalde, 20 July 2019 ; CNPGG-2288, Banco Obispo Norte reef (20.5065°N, 92.1961°W), 24 m depth, coll. Oscar Bocardo, 13 September 2017 ; CNPGG-2377, Banco Pera Reef (20.7266°N, 91.9348°W), 20 m depth, coll. Oscar Bocardo, 15 September 2017 ; CNPGG-2475, Cayo Arenas reef (22.1165°N, 91.3939°W), 8 m depth, coll. Diana Ugalde, 15 March 2015 .

Description. Massive habit and cavernous ( Fig. 58K ); the size of the larger specimen, 9 × 10 × 4 cm. The surface is smooth when alive and slightly microhispid when it is being fixed in ethanol. With oscules in two sizes scattered on the surface, large with 12 mm diameter and small with 1–3 mm diameter. Yellow color in vivo in the outside part, and cream color inside, beige in ethanol. The consistency is firm but compressible, easy to cut.

Skeleton. Choanosomal skeleton formed by ascending tracts pauci to multi-spicular 30–180 µm in diameter ( Fig. 56A ), connected by single spicules and sometimes with ill-defined paucispicular tracts in confusion arrangement ( Fig. 56C ). With abundant spongin. Ascending tracts protrude outside the surface ( Fig. 56B ).

Spicules. Styles slightly curved with conical or hastate tip ( Fig. 56D ), 270– 350 (39)–415/5– 9.2 (1.8)–11 µm

Distribution. Mexico (current records), Jamaica ( Lehnert & van Soest 1999 as Pseudaxinella flava ).

Remarks. The present material is quite the same as the original description of S. flava . Their massive shape, color in life, skeletal arrangement and spicule dimensions all match. Despite the difference in depth among them, 76 m in Lehnert & van Soest (1999), 8-24 m in the studied material. The closest species to S. flava is S. cristinae (above), both have the characteristics of the genus (they do not have ectosomal skeleton and have styles), they also share a yellow color in vivo and similar spicule measurements ( Table 4). However, S. flava has a more cavernous body with larger oscules, and develops an undefined anisotropic skeleton. Traits opposite to those of S. cristinae with smaller and fewer oscules, an ill-defined skeletal reticulation with undefined tracts, connected by single spicules and other loose ones. S. flava has been recorded only in Jamaica ( Lehnert & van Soest 1999), therefore, the current records from the GoM represent the first record and an extension in the geographic distribution of the species.

Figures

FIGURE 56. Svenzea flava (Lehnert & van Soest, 1999) (CNPGG-2377), skeleton and spicules: A. transversal section of the skeleton with a hispid surface; B. detail of the ectosomal region; C. detail of the choanosomal region; D. styles. Scale bars: A = 500 µm; B–D = 200 µm.

FIGURE 58. In situ photographs of species analyzed in the present study: A. Acarnus innominatus Gray, 1867 (CNPGG-2393); B. Monanchora arbuscula (Duchassaing & Michelotti, 1864) (CNPGG-2204); C. Strongylacidon bermuda (de Laubenfels, 1950) (CNPGG-2170); D. Desmapsamma anchorata (Carter, 1882) (CNPGG-2443); E. Iotrochota arenosa Rützler, Maldonado, Piantoni & Riesgo, 2007 (CNPGG-2422); F. Mycale (Mycale) laevis (Carter, 1882) (CNPGG-2273); F. Mycale (Arenochalina) laxissima (Duchassaing & Michelotti, 1864) (CNPGG-2267); H. Polymastia tenax Pulitzer-Finali, 1986 (CNPGG-22587); I. Scopalina ruetzleri (Wiedenmayer, 1977) (CNPGG-2183); J. Svenzea cristinae Alvarez, van Soest & Rützler, 2002 (CNPGG- 2474); K. Svenzea flava (Lehnert & van Soest, 1999) (CNPGG-2288); L. Svenzea tubulosa (Alcolado & Gotera, 1986) (CN- PGG-2272), surface detail zoomed in (arrow indicates white channels in the choanosomal region). Scale bars, A–L = 1 cm.