Leucaltis nodusgordii (Poléjaeff, 1883)

Putra, Singgih Afifa, Ambo-Rappe, Rohani, Jompa, Jamaluddin & de Voogd, Nicole J., 2024, Preliminary study of marine sponges (Porifera) in the littoral of Spermonde Archipelago, Indonesia, ZooKeys 1208, pp. 275-313 : 275-313

Leucaltis nodusgordii (Poléjaeff, 1883)

Fig. 4

Diagnostic features.

The species forms a clathrate mass of interconnected (anastomosing) tubes with varying lengths and diameters. Individual tubes can reach up to 2.5 cm in length and have diameters of 2–8 mm ( van Soest and de Voogd 2015). The tubes end in oscula, which can be as wide as the tube itself (standing upright) or smaller (flush with the surface), and these oscula are naked. The surface is smooth, and the texture is brittle yet somewhat compressible. The color is white or pinkish white, sometimes lavender-colored, and it turns yellowish white when preserved. The cortical skeleton is formed by the basal triradiate system of giant tetractines mixed with giant triactines. Actines of the giant tetractines and triactines protrude into the choanosomal skeleton. Next to the actines of the giant tri- and tetractines, the choanosomal skeleton contains scattered intermediate to small-sized regular triactines and tetractines (see van Soest and de Voogd 2015 for detail description).

Distribution and ecology.

Leucaltis nodusgordii is a new record for the Spermonde Archipelago (Samalona Island); reef flat. This species has been reported previously from north Sulawesi ( van Soest and de Voogd 2015).

Figures

Figure 4. a habitus in situ Leucaltis nodusgordii (Poléjaeff, 1883) (CEL 005) from Samalona Island, the Spermonde Archipelago (photograph by NJdeV). SEM images of spicules a regular equiangular tetractine of the chamber laye b ‘ Abruptly angled’ tetractines c ‘ Abruptly angled’ triactines (b, c both from the atrial region) d Small regular-shaped tetractines of the chamber layer e small regular-shaped triactines of the cortical region f Giant sized tetractines g giant sized triactines (f, g both from the cortical region).