Leucascus clavatus Dendy 1892

• Main Authors: Cavalcanti, Fernanda F., Rapp, Hans Tore, Klautau, Michelle
• Format: Text
• Language: unknown
• Published: Zenodo 2013
• Subjects: Biodiversity; Taxonomy; Animalia; Porifera; Calcarea; Clathrinida; Leucascidae; Leucascus; Leucascus clavatus; Pacific; Indian; New Zealand; Burton; Jurien; Snares Islands
• Online Access: https://dx.doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.6153179; https://zenodo.org/record/6153179

Leucascus clavatus Dendy, 1892 Diagnosis : Presence of club-shaped diactines perpendicular to the sponge surface. Apical actine of tetractines with well developed spines, and a ring at the base. Synonymies : Leucascus clavatus Dendy 1892: 78; Dendy & Row 1913: 731; Brøndsted 1926 (?): 300; Row & Hôzawa 1931: 743; Burton 1963: 241. Type material : BMNH 1893.6. 9.2 and NMV F 42333 (Holotypes—two fragments of the same specimen; near Port Phillip Heads, Australia; Wilson collection). Type locality : Port Phillip Heads, Australia. Additional analysed material: BMNH 1925.11. 1.1727 (Port Phillip Heads, Australia; Dendy collection, R.N. 240), BMNH 1924.2. 6.53 (Wilson collection), BMNH 1925.11. 1.1726 (near Port Phillip Heads, Australia; R.N. 196), BMNH 1925.11. 1.1728 (near Port Phillip Heads, Australia; R.N. 241), WAM Z 40143 (Jack Reef, Dongara, Western Australia, 2918.85 ’S 11454.7 ’E; coll. J. Fromont, CS Whisson & GI Moore; 15.03.2006; depth: 6.5 m), WAM Z 40519 (Jurien Bay, Julia Rocks, Western Australia, 30 09.34’S 114 59.83 ’E; coll. G. Clapin, R. Babcock & A. Sampey; 03/V/ 2005; depth: 5.6 - 5 m), WAM Z 40521 (Jurien Bay, Julia Rocks, Western Australia, 30 09.34’S 114 59.83 ’E; coll. G. Clapin, R. Babcock & A. Sampey; 03/V/ 2005; depth: 5.6 - 5 m), and NMV F 42334 (a fragment of BMNH 1925.11.1.1728). Description: The colour of this species alive is unknown but after fixation it is beige (Figure 3 A). The cormus is massive and its consistency is firm but compressible. The cormus is formed by anastomosed tubes covered by a thin and smooth membrane. The WAM specimens have a rounded shape (Figure 3 A) and their surfaces are a little ridged. The osculum is single, large (ca. 7 mm in diameter in the specimens from WAM) and without ornamentation. The atrial cavity is also surrounded by a thin membrane, which was not observed in the specimen NMV F 42333, probably due to its preservation. Reproductive structures were found in the specimen BMNH 1924.2. 6.53. The skeleton is composed of diactines, triactines, and few tetractines. Diactines are present mainly near the osculum and their abundance varies from rich to rare among the analysed specimens. They lay mainly perpendicular to the surface (Figure 3 B), but they can also be found below the cortical membrane (Figure 3 C). These latter are rare and shorter than the protruding diactines. The skeleton of the cortical membrane is also composed of triactines and some rare tetractines (Figure 3 D). These spicules are also present in the tubes (Figure 3 E), where the tetractines project their apical actines into the lumen (Figure 3 F). The atrial skeleton is composed exclusively of triactines (Figure 4 A). Spicules/ Specimens Actine Length (µm) Width (µm) N Min Mean SD Max Min Mean SD Max Triactine BMNH 1893.6. 9.2 (H) 97.2 124.7 13.5 162.8 10.9 14.6 1.8 18.2 30 NMV F 42333 (= BMNH 1925.11.1.1726) 85.0 117.4 15.3 138.5 9.7 13.3 1.5 15.8 30 NMV F 42334 (= BMNH 1925.11.1.1728) 72.9 106.1 15.6 145.8 10.9 14.5 2.3 19.4 30 All specimens 72.9 116.1 7.6 162.8 9.7 14.5 1.0 19.4 – Tetractine Basal BMNH 1893.6. 9.2 (H) 97.2 120.3 11.5 140.9 9.7 13.3 1.4 15.8 30 NMV F 42333 (= BMNH 1925.11.1.1726) 72.9 110.2 12.9 133.6 9.7 11.7 1.5 14.6 30 NMV F 42334 (= BMNH 1925.11.1.1728) 85.0 107.6 9.6 131.2 9.7 12.5 1.7 14.6 30 All specimens 72.9 112.7 5.5 140.9 9.7 12.5 0.6 15.8 – Apical BMNH 1893.6. 9.2 (H) 24.3 43.2 7.1 60.7 2.4 4.6 0.9 7.3 30 NMV F 42333 (= BMNH 1925.11.1.1726) 36.4 48.1 5.9 60.7 3.6 4.7 0.8 7.3 30 NMV F 42334 (= BMNH 1925.11.1.1728) 36.4 43.3 7.0 60.7 3.6 4.4 0.6 4.9 16 All specimens 24.3 44.9 2.3 60.7 2.4 4.6 0.1 7.3 – Diactine BMNH 1893.6. 9.2 (H) – – – – – – – – 0 NMV F 42333 (= BMNH 1925.11.1.1726) 500.0 663.6 156.0 850.0 70.0 101.8 14.0 120.0 11 NMV F 42334 (= BMNH 1925.11.1.1728) 350.0 614.0 144.0 850.0 50.0 96.7 27.4 140.0 15 All specimens 350.0 638.8 24.8 850.0 50.0 99.2 2.6 140.0 – Spicules (Table 2): ( i ) Diactines (Figure 4 B): Variable in size. They are club-shaped, with the sharp tip inside the sponge and the rounded one projected outside; ( ii ) Triactines (Figure 4 C): Regular, with conical actines and sharp tips. Some rare triactines have an elevated centre; ( iii ) Tetractines (Figure 4 C): Similar to the triactines, but with an apical actine, which is shorter and thinner than the basal ones. It presents well developed spines, and has a characteristic ring at their base (Figure 4 D). Remarks: Spines on the apical actines have never been observed in Leucascus clavatus. Neither has the ring present at the base of the apical actine. The spines of the apical actine showed no special pattern. The ring and the club-shaped diactines are diagnostic characters of L. clavatus . In fact, up to date L. clavatus is the only species of the genus with diactines (the species Leucascus albus sp. nov. has microdiactines). It is possible, however, that there are other Leucascus species with diactines in their skeletons. Brøndsted (1926) identified specimens from New Zealand as L. clavatus based on the presence of diactines where both tips were sharp. These specimens are clearly not L. clavatus , as the diactines were not club-shaped. Brøndsted’s specimens most likely represent a new species of Leucascus . Unfortunately, in the present work these specimens from New Zealand could not be analysed. Distribution: Indian and Pacific Oceans: Port Phillip Heads (Dendy 1892), Geraldton District (Row & Hôzawa 1931), and Jurien Bay and Dongara—Australia; Halfmoon Bay, Stewart Island—New Zealand (Brøndsted 1926). Spalding et al . (2007) correponding ecoregions are: Bassian, Houtman, and Snares Islands. : Published as part of Cavalcanti, Fernanda F., Rapp, Hans Tore & Klautau, Michelle, 2013, Taxonomic revision of Leucascus Dendy, 1892 (Porifera: Calcarea) with revalidation of Ascoleucetta Dendy & Frederick, 1924 and description of three new species, pp. 275-314 in Zootaxa 3619 (3) on pages 280-283, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.3619.3.3, http://zenodo.org/record/221852