Suberea esmerelda, Sim-Smith & Hickman & Kelly, 2021

Sim-Smith, Carina, Hickman, Cleveland & Kelly, Michelle, 2021, New shallow-water sponges (Porifera) from the Galápagos Islands, Zootaxa 5012 (1), pp. 1-71 : 6-7

Suberea esmerelda sp. nov.

( Fig. 2 )

Material examined. Holotype — MCCDRS9481, Wolf Island , 1.385° N, 91.814° W, 11 m, 13 Nov 2003 . Paratype — MCCDRS9480, Pinzón Island , 0.619° S, 90.685° W, 11 m, 27 Nov 2004 .

Type locality. Wolf Island .

Habitat and distribution. Only collected from Wolf Island and Pinzón Island , but commonly observed around the northern archipelago ( Darwin and Wolf Islands ). Also observed around Santiago, San Cristóbal and Pinzón Islands . Found growing on rock; 11 m.

Description. Massive, multilobate, anastomosing sponge, with a 20 mm thick base. Large conspicuous oscules are present at the apex of the lobes that have a thin raised margin. Surface is densely covered with broad conules that are ≤ 1 mm high. Colour in life is dull yellow to greenish grey, colour in ethanol is dark royal purple ( Fig. 2A–B ). Texture in life fleshy, compressible; in preservative very hard, not compressible.

Skeleton. Contains sparse dendritic fibres, 38–283 µm in diameter. Fibres are predominantly pith (70%), surrounded by a thin, laminated bark. The entire sponge is densely packed with collagen ( Fig. 2C–D ).

Etymology. Named for the emerald colour in the surface of this species in life (Spanish singular noun in apposition = ‘emerald’).

Remarks. The only species of Suberea described from the eastern Pacific is S. etiennei Van Soest, Kaiser & Van Syoc, 2011 from Clipperton Island. Suberea etiennei is a thickly encrusting sponge that is reddish brown in ethanol and has narrow fibres (30–97 µm). Suberea esmerelda sp. nov. has a similar morphology to S. laboutei Bergquist,1995 from New Caledonia. However, the latter species is chocolate brown in preservative and has much larger fibres (200–700 µm).

Subclass Keratosa Grant

Order Dendroceratida Minchin

Figures

FIGURE 2. Suberea esmerelda sp. nov: A. Holotype, MCCDRS9481, in situ. B. Holotype, preserved. C. Longitudinal section of a fibre from paratype, MCCDRS9480, showing the bark (black arrow) and pith elements (white arrow). D. Cross section of a fibre from MCCDRS9480 showing the laminated bark (arrow).