Niphates ruthecitae, 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 : 242-243

Niphates ruthecitae sp. nov.

( Figure 15 , Table 3 , Table 7)

Holotype. MNRJ 12159 (Vouchers: RBINS-IG 32240 -POR 12159, MHNG 85602 )— Unnamed Inlet to the North of Quilca , Arequipa Region (16°42’06.10” S, 72°26’54.00” W), depth ca. 5 m, coll. Y. Hooker, M. Vilchez & Ph. Willenz (01/XII/2008) . Paratypes. MNRJ 12066 (Vouchers RBINS-IG 32240 -POR 12066, MHNG 85508 )— Punta Coles, Ilo , Moquegua Region (17°42’00.0” S, 71°22’51.2” W), depth 8.4 m, coll. Y. Hooker, Ph. Willenz & M. Rios (06/XI/2006) ; MNRJ 12141 (Vouchers: RBINS-IG 32240 -POR 12141, MHNG 85584 )— Playa Catarindo, Mollendo , Arequipa Region (17°01’08.93” S, 72°02’03.25” W), depth 4 m, coll. Y. Hooker & U. Zanabria (26/ XI/2008) . Additional material deposited in collections. MNRJ 12139 (Vouchers: RBINS-IG 32240 -POR 12139, MHNG 85582 ) — Playa Catarindo, Mollendo , Arequipa Region (17°01’08.93” S, 72°02’03.25” W), depth 4 to 5 m, coll. Y. Hooker and U. Zanabria (26/XI/2019)

Diagnosis. The only Niphates in the Indo-Pacific combining a cushion-shape with lobate or thick lamellate projections, reticulated surface, light brown to light pink colour alive, a very regular skeleton of multispicular primary tracts connected by uni- to paucispicular secondary ones, oxeas 54–128 µm long, and no microscleres.

Description ( Fig. 15A, B ). Specimens can be large, over 30 cm in diameter, cushion-shaped, with irregular lobate or thick lamellate projections. Surface optically rough, but smoother to the touch. Oscula abundant, circular, 1–2 mm wide, randomly distributed, either flush with the surface, or on top of very low volcaniform elevations. Consistency spongy. Colour in life light brown to light pink.

Skeleton ( Fig. 15C–E ). Ectosome an irregular reticulation of pauci- to multispicular tracts (13–60 µm thick), creating irregular to circular meshes (70–370 µm wide). Choanosome a reticulation of longitudinal multispicular primary tracts (50–225 µm thick), orthogonally connected, fairly regularly, by uni- to paucispicular secondary tracts (30–75 µm thick), creating squared to rectangular meshes (85–1100 µm wide). Spongin is abundant, enveloping both categories of tracts, and free spicules are abundantly scattered throughout the choanosome.

Spicules ( Fig. 15F, G ). Oxeas, fusiform, straight, or more frequently subtly bent at centre, long acerate points, dimensions 54– 96 –128 x 1.7– 6.0 –9.9 µm ( Table 7).

Ecology. Specimens collected from flat or vertical rocky substrate in the shallow subtidal (5 m), co-occurring with abundant sea urchins. Water temperature during collection of MNRJ 12141 was 16 °C.

Distribution ( Fig. 3F ). Only known from Arequipa and Moquegua Regions, in Peru.

Etymology. This species is dedicated to our late colleague and great friend Ruth Desqueyroux-Faúndez, for her important role in sponge taxonomy, devoting herself to identifying and describing new species, with a special care for the SE Pacific and for the Haplosclerida in particular.

Remarks. This is the only known Niphates in the entire Southeastern Pacific. Its single congener in the Eastern Pacific is Niphates lunisimilis ( de Laubenfels, 1930) from California ( Table 3 ). The latter shares with N. ruthecitae sp. nov. a somewhat similar shape (massive to subspherical in N. lunisimilis ), oscula with raised edges, and drab colour (it may be light brown to light pink in Niphates ruthecitae sp. nov.). They, nevertheless, are very distinct in terms of skeletal architecture, as N. lunisimilis has a fragile, isodictyal skeleton superimposed by a reticulation of multispicular spongin fibres ( de Laubenfels 1932). Other Niphates spp. are all from the Western and Central Pacific, rendering conspecificity unlikely on purely biogeographical terms.

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 15. Niphates ruthecitae sp. nov. A, holotype alive (MNRJ 12159); B, paratype alive (MNRJ 12141); C–D, skeletal architecture in transverse ground section (MNRJ 12159, holotype); E, ectosomal skeleton architecture in tangential ground section (MNRJ 12159, holotype); F–G, oxeas. Scale bars: A, 2 cm; B, 1 cm; C, 500 µm; D–E, 200 µm; F–G, 20 µm.