Gelliodes conulosa Vicente, Rutkowski, Lavrov, Martineau, Timmers & Toonen, 2025, sp. nov.
Creators: name: Vicente, Jan
name: Rutkowski, Emily
name: Lavrov, Dennis V.
name: Martineau, Gabrielle
name: Timmers, Molly
name: Toonen, Robert J.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2025
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Porifera
Demospongiae
Haplosclerida
Niphatidae
Gelliodes
Gelliodes conulosa

description: Gelliodes conulosa sp. nov.
LSIDurn:lsid:zoobank.org:act: 5E90EDDF-F3BF-4F98-8334-F4ADCD17EF1E
Gelliodes wilsoni — Pons et al., 2017: 46, Fig 22; Vicente et al., 2020: 111, Fig 1; Vicente et al; 2022b: Fig 4, Table S4-S 5; Vicente et al., 2022a: Suppl. Table S1-2
Comparative material
Gellius varius var. fibrosus —Wilson, 1925: 388, Fig 3, Plate 40
Gelliodes fibrosa — de Laubenfels, 1935:329, Fig 2, Plate 1; see additional synonyms in Carballo et al. (2013).
Gelliodes wilsoni Carballo, Aguilar-Camacho, Knapp & Bell, 2013
For additional species see Table S3
Holotype and type locatlity. BPBM C1510 -Mammal pens, Moku o Loʻe (Coconut Island), Kāne‘ohe Bay, Oʻahu, (21.43243 °N, - 157.79078 °W); 0.5 m, coll. Jan Vicente, 2016-11-18.
Paratypes. BPBM C1636 - Yacht club, Kāne‘ohe Bay, Oʻahu, (21.4182°N, - 157.7719 °W); 2 m, coll. Jan Vicente, 2020-09-18. BPBM C1637, BPBM C1512, BPBM C1513, BPBM C1514 (p)—ARMS on reef at Moku o Loʻe (Coconut Island), Kāne‘ohe Bay, Oʻahu (21.4335 °N, - 157.7863 °W); 0.3 m, coll. Jan Vicente on 2016-12-19, 2017- 06-07, 2017-08-01, and 2018-01-19 respectively. Additional vouchers with metadata can be found in Table S1.
Diagnosis. A tough, elastic, compressible irregular mound shaped Gelliodes with a conulose surface, light to dark bluish grey to almost black color provided by pigmented cells, that has a skeleton consisting of an irregular network of fibers forming meshes (230–780 µm) that run paratangentially through the ectosome or rise from the choanosome pushing the ectosome upwards, spicules consist of oxeas (124–152–186 x 2.5–5.3–8.1 µm) embedded within fibers or that are auxiliar and an abundance of randomly distributed sigmas (10–14.2–22 x 0.5–1.0–1.7µm).
Description (Fig. 9). Thickly encrusting to irregular massive mounds (10 x 5 x 2 cm). Consistency is compressible, tough, elastic, and difficult to tear. Surface is conulose (horny), from projecting fibers underlying the sponge surface. Tangential surface fibers can be seen in small recruits growing on ARMS. Distance between the points of superficial cones varies between 1.5–3 mm. Superficial cones are between 1–2.3 mm long. Oscula are abundant, slightly elevated but also flush along the sponge surface measuring 0.1–0.5 cm in diameter and spread unevenly. A thin dermal membrane surrounds oscular openings. Exterior color of live and preserved specimens in ethanol varies from light to dark bluish grey to almost black from pigmented cells on the sponge surface. Color of the choanosomal tissue is usually lighter in color than the sponge surface. Exudes light yellow pigments in ethanol but the color of the specimen remains the same as in situ.
Skeleton (Figure 10a–e). In some specimens, the ectosome is distinguished from the choanosome by the appearance of a dark layer of pigmented cells (7–13 µm in diameter) that are densely packed within the first 300 µm of the sponge surface across the choanosome. Abundance of pigmented cells dissipates deep throughout the choanosome where they are less abundant. The ectosome is composed of an irregular organization of fibers (90–125 µm in diameter) which run tangentially through the sponge surface. Circular to elliptical meshes (230–780 µm) are also present throughout the ectosome. The choanosome is similar in composition to the ectosome and is also composed of an irregular arrangement of multispiculated fibers (28–120 µm in diameter) with auxiliary oxeas and sigmas surrounding the choanosomal meshes. Fibers pushing the sponge surface outward can be seen forming cones (250 µm in height and 100 µm thick). Echinating paucispicular (2–3 oxeas) tracts are also observed along the sponge surface. Circular and elliptical subectosomal (300–400 µm in diameter) and choanosomal spaces (200–650 µm in diameter) are abundant through the sponge body.
Spicules (Fig10f–g; Table 5). Oxeas are straight and slightly bent mostly with hastate tips 124–152–186 x 2.5–5.3–8.1 μm (Fig. 10f) can be auxiliary or embedded within fibers. Sigmas are C-shaped, with an abundant but random distribution throughout the sponge tissue in a single size category 10–14.2–22 x 0.5–1.0–1.7μm (Fig. 10g).
Habitat and Ecology. Specimens were collected on derelict nets, coral rubble, and ARMS. Successional observations of G. wilsoni shows the appearance of pioneering recruits exclusively on reef ARMS only after four months (Sup. Fig. S 3 in Vicente et al., 2022a). Predation studies with the gastropod Cypraea tigris revealed G. wilsoni to be a preferred species that lacks chemical defenses against spongivorous fish and mollusks (Vicente et al., 2020).
Taxonomic remarks. The original description for Hawaiian specimens were erected as Gelliodes wilsoni by Carballo et al., (2013) and argued to be a conspecific with Gellius varius fibrosus Wilson (1925), which was historically transferred to Gelliodes fibrosa by de Laubenfels (1935). Gelliodes fibrosa was already used as a name by Dendy (1905) to describe a different species. Therefore, G. wilsoni was proposed by Carballo and colleagues (2013) to refer to the material originally described by Wilson (1925) and de Laubenfels (1935) from the Philippines which dissolved the homonym G. fibrosa for both heterospecifics. Carballo and colleagues (2013) determined that G. wilsoni from Mexico, Hawaiʻi and Palmyra were conspecific with G. varius fibrosus Wilson (1925), and G. fibrosa de Laubenfels (1935) based on similar spicule composition and fiber dimensions. However, comparisons of in situ images between G. wilsoni by Carballo et al., (2013) with images (in spirit) of the type of G. varius fibrosus Wilson (1925) (de Voogd et al., 2023) revealed conspicuous morphological disparities to confirm heterospecificity. For example, the type material has oxea measurements of 220 x 14 µm which exceed the size limits of Hawaiian specimens. The morphology of the type also has an erect, cylindrical, branching, anastomising morphology with a rather even surface; oscula are numerous, evenly distributed and flush with the surface (Table S3). In contrast the specimens in Carballo et al., (2013) and this study consist of thickly encrusting mounds, with a conulose surface, and elevated oscula. The material by de Laubenfels (1935) more closely resemble the description of specimens collected by Carballo et al. (2013) and those in this study with oxeas measuring 150–190 x 4–6 and fibers 60–160 μm in diameter. The exterior blue grey color and lighter toned grey color of the interior of de Laubenfels’ Puerto Galera specimen preserved in alcohol also match the Hawaiian specimens. However, de Laubenfels also adds the description of a cavernous endosome, tangential oxeas, and no mention of a conulose surface from echinating fibers. The Hawaiian paratypes do not have tangentially oriented oxeas but rather echinating fibers which give them a conspicuous conulose appearance in all Hawaiian paratypes. Compared to the other 32 Gelliodes spp. there are six species with similar sizes of oxeas and sigmas as G. conulosa (Table S3). These can be excluded as conspecifics by differences in color and texture. For example, Gelliodes callista De Laubenfels 1954 is pinkish orange. Gelliodes obtusa Hentschel, 1912 is grey with brownish tinges. Gelliodes petrosioides Dendy, 1905 is pale yellowish grey and has a stony composition. Gelliodes porosa Thiele, 1903 is brown, smooth and cylindrical. Gelliodes spinosella Thiele, 1899 is a soft bodied sponge with lighter colored pigments. Other species baring sigmas and oxeas without reported measurements include Gelliodes truncata (Kieschnick 1896), Gelliodes licheniformis (Lamarck 1814), and Gelliodes fibrosa (Dendy 1905). However, G. truncata is a soft brown branching sponge, G. licheniformis is described as a loosely smooth sponge from the Atlantic Ocean and G. fibrosa is also described as a soft sponge; all of which do not match the description for G. conulosa.
Dimensions of fibers in Hawaiian specimens described in this study fit those previously reported by Carballo and colleagues (2013) (70–145 µm). However, the diameter of circular meshes more closely resemble those reported by Pons et al., 2017 (600 µm) and are much wider than those reported by Carballo and colleagues (2013). Localization of pigmented cell within the sponge surface and presence of numerous auxiliary oxeas and sigmas in the present material is also added as diagnostic characters for this species.
Based on these novel findings we propose the new name Gelliodes conulosa for the specimens described in this study and those previously analyzed by Pons et al. (2017). We also, propose that Gelliodes wilsoni be kept as the name for the species described by Wilson, 1925. Gelliodes conulosa is considered an introduced species in Hawaiʻi and is confined to lagoonal habitats throughout the main Hawaiian Islands (Eldredge et al., 2001). At the moment the origin of this species remains cryptogenic.
Distribution. Eastern Indo-Pacific (Hawaiʻi) (Pons et al., 2017; Eldredge et al., 2001).
Etymology. The given name is based on the distinct conulose surface of the sponge. We use the feminine conulosa following the feminine gender of Gelliodes and Article 31.2 of the International Code for Zoological Nomenclature (http://www.iczn.org/, accessed on October 16, 2023).
description: Published as part of Vicente, Jan, Rutkowski, Emily, Lavrov, Dennis V., Martineau, Gabrielle, Timmers, Molly & Toonen, Robert J., 2025, Integrative taxonomy of introduced Haplosclerida and four new species from Hawaiʻi, pp. 243-272 in Zootaxa 5566 (2) on pages 261-264, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5566.2.2, http://zenodo.org/record/14702682