Spongilla alba Carter, 1849

Pinheiro, Ulisses, Nicacio, Gilberto & Muricy, Guilherme, 2015, An example of the importance of labels and fieldbooks in scientific collections: A freshwater sponge misunderstood for a marine new genus and species, Zootaxa 3974 (3), pp. 447-450 : 447-449

Spongilla alba Carter, 1849

( Fig. 1 )

For synonyms see Penney & Racek (1968) and Muricy et al. (2011). New synonyms: Crelloxea spinosa Hechtel, 1983: 70 .

Crella spinosa, Santos et al., 2002: 393 .

Crella (Grayella) spinosa , van Soest, 2002: 560; Muricy et al., 2011: 162.

Specimens examined. Crelloxea spinosa Holotype YPM-9019, Schizotype MNRJ-14956, Olho d’Água Lagoon, Jaboatão dos Guararapes, Pernambuco State, 08°12'8.72"S 34°56'36.5"W, coll. J. Laborel, 13.v.1964.

General morphology. Eight fragments of an encrusting sponge measuring 2–8 cm long by 0.2–1.0 cm thick ( Fig. 1 A). Colour greyish brown in ethanol. Surface hispid, uneven, with low and irregular tubercles and ridges (1 mm high). Oscules not observed. Consistency soft.

Skeleton. In transverse sections, the skeleton is an anisotropic reticulation of oxeas forming paucispicular (3–5 spicules across) ascending primary lines connected by very irregular, long paucispicular secondary lines. Acanthoxea and acanthostrongyles are sparsely dispersed in both the ectosome and the choanosome. Spongin and dispersed spicules are abundant ( Fig. 1 B).

Gemmules. Rare, roughly spherical, averaging 540 µm, with a central cavity surrounded by a thick cortex with gemmuloscleres embedded transversally ( Fig. 1 C).

Spicules. Megascleres predominantly straight to slightly curved, robust, smooth oxeas (249–346–408/ 9-17-21 µm; Fig. 1 D). Microscleres thin, fusiform acanthoxeas densely spined (96–114–144/3–4 µm; Fig. 1 E). Near both extremities, the spines are acutely pointed, directed towards the center of the spicule, where the spines become blunt and irregularly microspined. Gemmuloscleres straight to slightly curved acanthostrongyles (75–103–126/3-7-9 µm), with large acerate spines concentrated near the extremities and mostly curved towards the center of the spicule, where there are few acerate and no blunt spines ( Fig. 1 F).

Ecology. Specimens were collected on roots and leaves of Eleocharis sp. in a shallow fresh- to brackish water coastal lagoon with still waters. Average salinity in the lagoon can vary from 5–29 ppt in six months ( Coelho, 1966). The location is currently a highly polluted urban lagoon with high sedimentation, but it was probably less polluted in 1964. Despite exhaustive searches, no more sponges were found there in recent years.

Distribution. Cosmopolitan: Afghanistan, Australia, Egypt, India, Indonesia, Japan, Madagascar, Iran, Phillippines, Thailand, Curaçao, El Salvador, Venezuela, U.S.A. (Florida, Louisiana, South Carolina). In Brazil: Amazonas River (Amazonas State); Mundaú-Manguaba Lagoons in Maceió and Ipanema River in Santana do Ipanema (Alagoas State); a locality not informed, Feia Lagoon in Campos dos Goytacazes and Quissamã, and Jacarepaguá in Rio de Janeiro (Rio de Janeiro State) (reviewed by Muricy et al., 2011). This is the first record of Spongilla alba in Pernambuco State, although an unidentified Spongillidae was already recorded from Olho d'Água Lagoon ( Coelho, 1966; Santos et al., 2002), which probably belongs to the same species discussed here. Spongilla alba is currently accepted as cosmopolitan due to the lack of morphological differences between the disjunct populations worldwide, but genetic studies are necessary to verify if it is a truly cosmopolitan species or a complex of sibling species.

Figures

FIGURE 1. Crelloxea spinosa holotype (YPM 9019). A, external morphology. B, transverse section of ectosome and choanosome. C, gemmules. D, oxea. E, acanthoxea. F, acanthostrongyles. G, current label of the holotype of Crelloxea spinosa. Notice the hand-written statement " Field no. 04 – 46 " on the back of the label, just below the inscription " Yale Peabody Museum " at the top right. H, aerial view of Jaboatão dos Guararapes, in Recife metropolitan area, with Olho d'Água Lagoon at the top right.