Fascaplysinopsis klobos Ekins, Erpenbeck & Hooper, 2023

Ekins, Merrick, Erpenbeck, Dirk, Debitus, Cécile, Petek, Sylvain, Mai, Tepoerau, Wörheide, Gert & Hooper, John N. A., 2023, Revision of the genus Fascaplysinopsis, the type species Fascaplysinopsis reticulata (Hentschel, 1912) (Porifera, Dictyoceratida, Thorectidae) and descriptions of two new genera and seven new species, Zootaxa 5346 (3), pp. 201-241 : 216

Fascaplysinopsis klobos Ekins, Erpenbeck & Hooper sp. nov.

Figures 3 , 8

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:4D7282CB-97DB-47FC-AB12-6D96D25099B7

Material examined.

Holotype WAM Z88875 , Cartier I, windward reef slope, west side of reef, Western Australia, Australia, 12.533889 °S, 123.519167°E, 12 m, spur and groove, coral reef, SCUBA, FN-13, Coll. J.N.A. Hooper, 4/V/1992. A fragment of the holotype, QM G301060, is deposited at the Queensland Museum.

Etymology. klobos (n) Gr. Cage. Pertaining to the cage like structure of secondary fibres around the primary fibre

Distribution. This species is currently known only from a single specimen from Cartier Island in Western Australia ( Fig. 3 ).

Description:

Growth form: The sponge morphology consists of multiple lobes or blunt fingers 14 cm in height, 10 cm in width and 8 cm thick ( Fig. 8 A ).

Colour: The sponge is black underwater. The interior colour is beige. In 70% ethanol, the exterior is a dark brown, whilst the interior remains beige. The fibres are a pale orange colour

Oscules: The conules are rare and scattered over the surface. The oscula openings are approximately 5 mm in size.

Texture: The sponge is compressible, firm and tough.

Surface: The sponge has a conulose surface; the sharp conules are 1.5–7 mm in height and separated by 1.5–5 mm, typically about 3 mm. The conules are connected from between three and five other conules, often with long curvaceous ridges that rise high above the valleys between them ( Fig. 8 A ).

Ectosomal skeleton: The ectosomal is composed of dark brown membranous skin, which includes some occasional sand in the ectosome and choanosome ( Fig. 8 B ).

Choanosomal skeleton: The choanosome is composed of thick collagenous material, interspersed with small aquiferous channels and with occasional sand detritus present ( Fig. 8 C ). The skeleton is a fairly regular radial pattern of large (100–250 μm in diameter) laminated cored primary fibres. The secondary fibres form a fascicle, almost cylindrical cage around and supporting all of the primary fibres ( Fig. 8 D–F ). The secondary fibres (40–70 μm in diameter), whilst the tertiary fibres are 20–40 μm in diameter. The secondary and tertiary fibres are usually pithed.

Ecology. This sponge occurs on spur and groove reefs on the outer reef slopes at 12 m. The sponge has many epibionts growing on its surface including the algae Halimeda Lamouroux 1812 , bryozoans, hydroids and encrusting sponges and ascidians.

DNA Barcodes. 28S: Schizoholotype QM G301060 (OX458933)

Remarks. This new species from Western Australia can easily be separated from the other species in this genus morphologically by the unusual form of fasciculation around all the primary fibres, i.e. cylindrical cage of secondary fibres that surround the primary fibres.

Figures

FIGURE 3. Distribution of Fascaplysinopsis reticulata, Fascaplysinopsis palauensis sp. nov., Fascaplysinopsis klobos sp. nov. and Fascaplysinopsis ronquinni sp. nov. Base map modified from freevectormaps.com.

FIGURE 8. Fascaplysinopsis klobos sp. nov. A. Holotype WAM Z88875 fixed. B. Cross section through the holotype. C. Close up of a cross section of the holotype showing the epidermal layer, the heavy collagen and the fibres. D. Partly digested showing the fully cored primary fibres. E. Digested tissue showing the cored primary fibres and the supportive secondary fibres. F. Microscope section showing the secondary fibres forming a cage around the cored primary fibres.