Cinachyra crassispicula

Cinachyra crassispicula (Lendenfeld, 1907)

Synonymy: Tethya crassispicula Lendenfeld, 1907; Craniella crassispicula (Lendenfeld, 1907).

Material examined: Holotype of Tethya crassispicula, ZMB Por 1248 Lendenfeld, 1907 from Kerguelen (Subantarctic).

GenBank accession number: Holotype of Tethya crassispicula, ZMB Por 1248 MF168950.(see S1).

Description (Fig. 14). Globular, 8 cm in diameter, sponge (Fig. 14a); hispid surface mainly on its apical part, produced by the protruding oxeas and protriaenes. Oscules inconspicuous. Porocalices large (up to 3 mm in diameter) and numerous with a flask-shape pattern (Fig. 14b), placed on the sponge lateral zones; color reddish brown in alcohol. Cortex (Fig. 14c–d) formed by a dense layer of cris-cross, thick auxiliary oxeas together with sigmaspires. Basal anchoring tufts made of anatriaenes.

Spicules (Fig. 15; Table 1)

Megascleres: oxeas I (Fig. 15a) large and fusiform: 5775–6890–7750 µm x 50 –64–80 µm. Auxiliary oxeas II small and thick (Fig. 15b): 300–582.3–950 µm x 15 –23.6–40 µm. Anatriaenes I (Fig. 15c,d,e,f,g): 4500–11158– 18800 µm x 12.5–20–27.5 µm in size with clades of different forms, sometimes deformed, more or less open: 60– 92.5–125 µm in length; rhabdomes fusiform, thicker at the middle and filiform at the terminal part. Anatriaenes II: 3500–4065–4650 µm x 7.5–9.3–12.5 µm in size (Fig.15h) with short clades: 30–38.6–50 µm and fusiform rhabdomes. Protriaenes I (Fig. 15i), sometimes prodiaenes: 4470–6244.3–12360 µm x 10 –15.4–27.5 µm, clades with equal length: 80–110.3–150 µm long; rhabdomes tapering from the base of the clades to end in a filamentous termination. Protriaenes II (Fig. 15j) sometimes prodiaenes: 1450–2630–3970 µm x 3.75–7.26–10 µm, clades with equal length: 20–58.9–90 µm; rhabdomes tapering from the base of the clades to end in a filamentous termination. Trichodal protriaenes (Fig. 15l) very small with filamentous rhabdomes: 287.5–629–1400 µm x 1.25–2.7–5 µm long and thin, 10–21.2–50 µm long clades. Microscleres: sigmaspires (Fig. 15k): 12.5–15–20 µm in length.

Skeletal arrangement. Bundles of oxeas, anatriaenes, and protriaenes radiating spirally form the center to the periphery, piercing the ectosome. Thick auxiliary oxeas mostly arranged at the sponge periphery, but also scattered in the choanosome. Trichodal protriaenes mostly present at the peripheral zone. Sigmaspires mainly accumulated at the peripheral layer of the cortex.

Distribution and habitat. Kerguelen (Lendenfeld, 1907).

Remarks. Tethya crassispicula Lendenfeld, 1907 was revised to confirm whether it belongs to any of the Antarctic genera. As it has been proved to be a Cinachyra, its description is included in this study. Re-examination of the type of Tethya crassispicula Lendenfeld, 1907 proved that this species has porocalices and a clear spiculemade cortex. These characters are typical of Cinachyra and thus the species is here renamed Cinachyra crassispicula. The COI minibarcode sequences (Meusnier et al. 2008 and Cárdenas & Moore 2017; data not shown) also suggest assigning this and A. coactifera to the Antarctic clade of Tetillidae.