Lissodendoryx (Anomodoryx) vulcanus Cavalcanti, Santos & Pinheiro, 2014, sp. nov.
Creators: name: Cavalcanti, Thaynã
name: Santos, George Garcia
name: Pinheiro, Ulisses
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2014
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Porifera
Demospongiae
Poecilosclerida
Coelosphaeridae
Lissodendoryx
Lissodendoryx vulcanus

description: Lissodendoryx (Anomodoryx) vulcanus sp. nov.
Holotype. UFPEPOR 1647, Bacia Potiguar (04º 44.8945' S, 36º 25.4571' W), Rio Grande do Norte State, Brazil, depth 108 m, trawl, col. Petrobras, (23.V.2011).
Description of preserved specimen (Fig. 1 A–C). Massive or volcano-shaped, 16 x 15 x 4 cm (length x height x width) (Fig. 1 A), elastic and compressible consistency. Warty surface, with papillae (2.7mm high) covering the sponge. Two big membranaceous circular oscules (approximately 2 cm in diameter) at the top (Fig. 1 A–C). The sponge exudes copious mucus when handled. Color in life is unknown and it is brownish-purple in ethanol. The specimens were collected in the same drag as Aiolochroia crassa (Hyatt, 1875) and stored in the same container. It is possible that the A. crassa pigments discoloured the Lissodendoryx (Anomodoryx) specimen.
Skeleton: The ectosomal skeleton consists of some strewn tylotes, with abundant fibres, sigmas and arcuate isochelae also concentrated in this region (Fig. 1 D). The choanosomal skeleton is a system of anastomosing spongin fibres without any regular architecture (Fig. 1 B), the primary (trabeculae) and secundary fibres are cored by tylotes. Raphides are present throughout the mesohyl.
Spicules (Fig. 1 E–I; Table 1). Tylotes (263– 397.8 –550 / 5 – 7.4 –11 µm): large, smooth, straight to sinuously curved, head oval (Fig. 1 E, G); Arcuate isochelae (16– 23.5 –28 µm): smooth, lightly curved, abundant (Fig. 1 I); Sigmas (21– 30.7 –41 µm): thin, smooth, abundant (Fig. 1 H); Raphides (287– 343.3 –419 / 0.5– 0.64 –1 µm): long, smooth, lightly curved, very thin (Fig. 1 F).
Distribution and ecology. Known only from the type locality: Off Bacia Potiguar, Rio Grande do Norte State, Brazil), at 108 m depth. No data regarding the habitat were recorded; the relatively deep distribution (below 100 m) is so far unusual for members of the subgenus.
Etymology. The species name, from the Latin vulcanus, refers to its volcano-shape.
Discussion. Lissodendoryx (Anomodoryx) vulcanus sp. nov. can be distinguished from other species of the subgenus by the combination of its volcano-shape, presence of mucus and combination of microscleres arcuate isochelae (16–28 µm), sigmas (21–41 µm) and raphides (287–419 µm) (Table 1). It is the only species in the subgenus that possesses both sigma and raphide microscleres. In comparison with Atlantic species: Lissodendoryx (A.) amphispinulata Rützler et al., 2007 from the Caribbean can be distinguished by the presence of two categories of tylotes and by the absence of raphides; Lissodendoryx (A.) coralgardeniensis Samaai & Gibbons, 2005 from South Africa is an encrusting to massive sponge and does not have sigmas; Lissodendoryx (A.) recife has strongyles and lacks sigmas and raphides; and Lissodendoryx (A.) tylota does not have sigmas or styles and its arcuate isochelae (50 µm) are bigger than those of the new species (28 µm). The most similar species to L. (A.) vulcanus sp. nov. is L. (A.) dendyi (Whitelegge, 1901) which also has a massive shape, but differs by having smaller tylotes (see Tab. 1) and absence of raphides. Finally, L. (A.) dendyi is known only from Australia, making conspecificity highly improbable.
References: (1) Rützler et al. (2007); (2) Samaai & Gibbons (2005); (3) Boury-Esnault (1973); (4) Topsent (1892b); (5) Van Soest (2002).
description: Published as part of Cavalcanti, Thaynã, Santos, George Garcia & Pinheiro, Ulisses, 2014, A new species of Lissodendoryx (Anomodoryx) Burton, 1934 (Porifera: Demospongiae: Poecilosclerida) from deeper waters off the Atlantic coast of Brazil, pp. 497-500 in Zootaxa 3884 (5) on pages 497-499, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.3884.5.7, http://zenodo.org/record/226555