Abstract
Acanthotetilla is a genus of tetillid sponges diagnosed by the presence of medium-sized, heavily spined oxeas, which are known as “megacanthoxeas” (or simply acanthoxeas). Currently, seven species are known worldwide: three from the Western Atlantic (A. gorgonosclera, A. rocasensis and A. walteri), three from the Western Indian (A. hemisphaerica, A. enigmatica and A. seychellensis) and one from the Western Pacific (A. celebensis). A megacanthoxea-bearing specimen was obtained from the Fernando de Noronha Archipelago, Southwest Atlantic, in 2016. It is described here as a new Acanthotetilla, namely, A. noronhensis sp. nov. This new species has two categories of megacanthoxeas, like A. celebensis from Celebes/Sulawesi Sea, Indonesia. However, the former differs from the latter, as well as from other congeners, by the combination of endolithic habit and spiculation. Acanthotetilla noronhensis sp. nov. is known on the basis of a single specimen from a large collection of sponges from Fernando de Noronha. Besides, the species was not found in other sponge collections from different areas of Brazil, including oceanic areas. Thus, the new species has probably a low abundance and restricted distribution, alike all other known Acanthotetilla species, aside A. celebensis, which (regardless its low abundance) occurs in a large sector of the western Pacific. Despite A. noronhensis sp. nov. and A. celebensis being separated by a wide geographic distance, the unique occurrence of two categories of megacanthoxeas might suggest closer phylogenetic relationship and biogeographic history as well. A wider discussion on the diversity, distribution and morphologic characters of Acanthotetilla spp. is supplied in this study. A comparative taxonomic table and a taxonomic identification key to Acanthotetilla spp. is supplied as well.
References
- Bergquist, P.R. & Hogg, J.J. (1969) Free amino acid patterns in Demospongiae: a biochemical approach to sponge classification. Cahiers de Biologie Marine, 10 (2), 205–220.
- Bettcher, L., Fernandez, J.C.C., Gastaldi, M., Bispo, A., Leal, C.V., Leite, D., Avelino-Alves, D., Clerier, P.H.B., Rezende, D., Gulart, C.M.R, Pinheiro, U. & Hajdu, E. (2023) Checklist, diversity descriptors and selected descriptions of a highly diverse intertidal sponge (Porifera) assemblage at Costa do Descobrimento (Bahia, Brazil). Zootaxa, 5277 (3), 443–489. https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5277.3.2
- Boury-Esnault, N., Pansini, M. & Uriz, M.J. (1992) A new Discorhabdella (Porifera, Demospongiae), a new Tethyan relict of pre-Messinian biota? Journal of Natural History, 26, 1–7. https://doi.org/10.1080/00222939200770011
- Boury-Esnault, N. & Rützler, K. (1997) Thesaurus of sponge morphology. Smithsonian Contributions to Zoology, 596, 1–55. https://doi.org/10.5479/si.00810282.596
- Burton, M. (1959) Sponges. In: Scientific Reports. John Murray Expedition 1933–34. 10 (5). British Museum (Natural History), London, pp.151–281.
- Cárdenas, P., Pérez, T. & Boury-Esnault, N. (2012) Sponge Systematics Facing New Challenges. Advances in Marine Biology, 61, 79–209. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-387787-1.00010-6
- Coral Reef Research Foundation (2013) Biodiversity Database. Available from: https://coralreefpalau.org (accessed 29 August 2023)
- De Voogd, N.J., Alvarez, B., Boury-Esnault, N., Carballo, J.L., Cárdenas, P., Díaz, M.-C., Dohrmann, M., Downey, R., Hajdu, E., Hooper, J.N.A., Kelly, M., Klautau, M., Manconi, R., Morrow, C.C., Pisera, A.B., Ríos, P., Rützler, K., Schönberg, C., Vacelet, J. & van Soest, R.W.M. (2023) World Porifera Database. Available from: https://www.marinespecies.org/porifera (accessed 29 August 2023) https://doi.org/10.14284/359
- De Voogd, N.J. & Van Soest, R.W.M. (2007) Acanthotetilla celebensis sp. nov., a new species from North Sulawesi, Indonesia (Porifera: Demospongiae: Spirophorida: Tetillidae). Zootaxa, 1397 (1), 25–28. https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.1397.1.3
- Dendy, A. (1924) Porifera. Part I. Non-Antarctic sponges. Natural History Report. British Antarctic (Terra Nova) Expedition, 1910, Zoology, 6 (3), 269–392, pls. I–XV.
- Duchassaing de Fonbressin, P. & Michelotti, G. (1864) Spongiaires de la mer Caraibe. Natuurkundige verhandelingen van de Hollandsche maatschappij der wetenschappen te Haarlem, 21 (2), 1–124, pls. I–XXV]
- Fernandez, J.C.C., Kelly, M. & Bell, L.J. (2017) Cinachyrella anatriaenilla sp. nov., a new tetillid sponge with microacanthoxeas from American Samoa in the South Pacific. Zootaxa, 4258 (1), 81–90. https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.4258.1.6
- Fernandez, J.C.C, Peixinho, S. & Hajdu, E. (2012) Phylogeny and an integrated biogeography of Acanthotetilla Burton, 1959 (Demospongiae: Spirophorida: Tetillidae): two-way traffic on the peri-African track. Zootaxa, 3402 (1), 1–23. https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.3402.1.1
- Gray, J.E. (1867a) Notes on the Arrangement of Sponges, with the Descriptions of some New Genera. Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London, 1867 (2), 492–558.
- Gray, J.E. (1867b) On Placospongia, a new generic form of Spongiadae in the British Museum. Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London, 1867, 127–129.
- Hajdu, E., Peixinho, S. & Fernandez, J.C.C (2011) Esponjas Marinhas da Bahia: Guia de Campo e Laboratório. Série Livros 45. Museu Nacional/UFRJ, Rio de Janeiro, 276 pp.
- Hou, Z. & Li, S. (2018) Tethyan changes shaped aquatic diversification. Biological Reviews, 93, 874–896. https://doi.org/10.1111/brv.12376
- Jolivet, L. de & Faccenna, C. (2000) Mediterranean extension and the Africa-Eurasia collision, Tectonics, 19 (6), 1095–1106. https://doi.org/10.1029/2000TC900018
- Lévi, C. (1964) Spongiaires du canal de Mozambique. Bulletin du Muséum national d’Histoire naturelle, 36 (3), 384–395.
- Marshall, W. (1876) Ideen über die Verwandtschaftsverhältnisse der Hexactinelliden. Zeitschrift für wissenschaftliche Zoologie, 27 (1), 113–136.
- Moraes, F.C. (2011) Esponjas das Ilhas Oceânicas Brasileiras. Série Livros 44. Museu Nacional/UFRJ. Rio de Janeiro, 252 pp.
- Müller, F. (1865) Ueber Darwinella aurea, einen Schwamm mit sternförmigen Hornnadeln. Archiv für mikroskopische Anatomie und Entwicklungsmechanik, 1, 344–353, pl. XXI. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02961422
- Peixinho, S., Fernandez, J., Oliveira, M.V., Caíres, S. & Hajdu, E. (2007) Description of two new species of Acanthotetilla Burton, 1959 from NE Brazil, Southwestern Atlantic (Tetillidae, Spirophorida, Demospongiae). In: Custódio, M.R., Lôbo-Hajdu, G., Hajdu, E. & Muricy, G. (Eds.), Porifera Research. Vol. 1. Biodiversity, Innovation and Sustainability. Série Livros 28. Museu Nacional, Rio de Janeiro, pp. 509–515.
- Rützler, K. (1987) Tetillidae (Spirophorida, Porifera): a taxonomic reevaluation. In: Vacelet, J. & Boury-Esnault, N. (Eds.), Taxonomy of Porifera from the N.E. Atlantic and Mediterranean Sea. NATO ASI Series G13. Springer-Verlag Berlin, Heidelberg, pp. 187–203 https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-70892-3_9
- Santos, G.G., Da Silva, L.P., Alliz, A. & Pinheiro, U. (2014) Cladocroce caelum sp. nov. from the Brazilian coast; first record of the genus in the South Atlantic. Zootaxa, 3847 (2), 297–300. https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.3847.2.10
- Schmidt, O. (1862) Die Spongien des adriatischen Meeres. Wilhelm Engelmann, Leipzig, 88 + viii pp., 7 pls.
- Sollas, W.J. (1885) A Classification of the Sponges. Annals and Magazine of Natural History, Series 5, 16 (95), 1–395. https://doi.org/10.1080/00222938509459901
- Sollas, W.J. (1886) Preliminary account of the Tetractinellid sponges dredged by H.M.S. ‘Challenger’ 1872–76. Part I. The Choristida. Scientific Proceedings of the Royal Dublin Society, New Series, 5, 177–199.
- Szitenberg, A., Becking, L.E., Vargas, S., Fernandez, J.C.C., Santodomingo, N., Woerheide, G., Ilan, M., Kelly, M. & Huchon, D. (2013) Phylogeny of Tetillidae (Porifera, Demospongiae, Spirophorida) based on three molecular markers. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution, 67, 509–519. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ympev.2013.02.018
- Thomas, P.A. (1973) Marine Demospongiae of Mahé Island in the Seychelles Bank (Indian Ocean). Annales du Musée royal de l’Afrique centrale, Sciences Zoologiques, 203, 1–96.
- Van Soest, R.W.M. (1977) A revision of the megacanthoxea-bearing tetillids (Porifera, Spirophorida), with a description of a new species. In: Hummelinck, P.W. & Van der Steen, L.J. (Eds.), Uitgaven van de Natuurwetenschappelijke Studiekring voor Suriname en de Nederlandse Antillen. No. 89. Studies on the Fauna of Curaçao and other Caribbean Islands, No. 72, pp. 1–14.
- Van Soest, R.W.M. (1994) Demosponge distribution patterns. In: Van Soest, R.W.M., van Kempen T.M.G. & Braekman, J.C. (Eds.), Sponges in Time and Space: biology, chemistry, paleontology. Balkema, Rotterdam, pp. 213–223.
- Van Soest, R.W.M., Boury-Esnault, N., Vacelet, J., Dohrmann, M., Erpenbeck, D., de Voogd, N.J., Santodomingo, N., Vanhoorne, B. & Hooper, J.N. (2012) Global diversity of sponges (Porifera). PLoS One, 7 (4), e35105, 1–23. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0035105
- Van Soest, R.W.M. & Rützler, K. (2002) Family Tetillidae Sollas, 1886. In: Hooper, J.N.A. & Van Soest, R.W.M. (Eds.), Systema Porifera. Vol. 1. A guide to the classification of sponges. Kluwer Academic/Plenum Publishers, New York, New York, pp. 85–98. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4615-0747-5_8
- Wilson, H.V. (1925) Silicious and horny sponges collected by the U.S. Fisheries Steamer ‘Albatross’ during the Philippine Expedition,1907–10. In: Contributions to the biology of the Philippine Archipelago and adjacent regions. Bulletin of the United States National Museum, 100 (2), Part 4), pp. 273–532, pls. 37–52.