Clathria (Axosuberites) nidificata

• Main Authors: Schejter, Laura, Cristobo, Javier, Ríos, Pilar
• Format: Other/Unknown Material
• Language: unknown
• Published: Zenodo 2024
• Subjects: Biodiversity; Taxonomy; Animalia; Porifera; Demospongiae; Poecilosclerida; Microcionidae; Clathria; Clathria nidificata; Antarc*; Antarctic; Antarctica; South Orkney Islands
• Online Access: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.10562140; http://treatment.plazi.org/id/03D687FDC5038251FF45FD986DC5BAFA

Clathria (Axosuberites) nidificata (Kirkpatrick, 1907) (Fig. 3k–n) Restricted synonymy: Ophlitaspongia nidificata Kirkpatrick, 1907; Axociella nidificata (Kirkpatrick, 1907). Material examined: 4 small specimens collected at station 11 (SOI; 60°53'S, 42°35'W; 487 m; 10/3/2014; MACN-In 44362; IEO-CSIC Col.). Description: Small sponges shrub-like, 3 to 4 cm in height. The living specimens were light brown (Figure 3k). Spicules are two categories of styles and toxas. The skeleton of the branches is constituted of a central axis of styles II, echinated by styles I mostly (Figure 3n). The styles I are straight and measure 750–1510 / 10–50 μm (Figure 3l); styles II are also straight but thinner, 400–590 / 5–10 μm; toxas are numerous and measure 170–600 μm, usually with spined tips (Figure 3l–n). Remarks: Some specimens were epibiotic on dead Caryophyllia corals (Figure 3k), that are common corals in the area (Schejter et al . 2016a), and on pebbles. The specimens here studied were morphologically similar to Artemisima plumosa , but unlike this species, they lack chelae. Clathria (A.) nidificata is well known from Antarctic waters (Campos et al. 2007; Ríos 2006, Koltun 1964, Fernández et al. 2021), sub-Antarctic regions such as South Georgias Islands (Koltun 1964), Burdwood bank (Schejter et al. 2017), and deep sea Argentinean waters (Burton 1940). This represents the first record for the SOI. Published as part of Schejter, Laura, Cristobo, Javier & Ríos, Pilar, 2024, New records of demosponges (Porifera) from the South Orkney Islands (Antarctica) with a checklist for the region, pp. 401-430 in Zootaxa 5403 (4) on page 409, DOI:10.11646/zootaxa.5403.4.1, http://zenodo.org/record/10562154