Fig. 22 A–E
Etymology. Named for Lawrence M. Lambe of the Geological Society of Canada who described many sponges from western Canada and Alaska during the period 1893–1895.
Synonomy. Laxosuberites sp.? of Austin & Ott (1987)
Material examined. Holotype: RBCM 982 - 66 - 1, George Fraser I., Barkley Sd., BC, (48 º 54.5 ′N, 125 º 30.8 ′W), low littoral, Jul. 29, 1976, coll. W.C. Austin. Paratype: CMNI 2009 -0028, KML 1103, KML sta. 141 / 84, Skedans, BC, (56 o 6.2 ′N, 131 o 13.1 ′W), littoral, Jul. 4, 1984, coll. W.C. Austin.
Other material: KML 1078, PEI 38, Chatham Sd., BC, (approx. 54 º 22 'N, 130 º 35 'W), no depth, no date, coll. M. LeBlanc, 1 specimen; KML 1076, KML sta. 621 / 77, Rennell Sd., Haida Gwaii, BC, (approx. 53 º 23 'N, 132 º 32 'W), no depth, no date, coll. W.C. Austin, 1 specimen; KML 1064, Sivart Rock, Haida Gwaii, BC, (approx. 52 º 32 'N, 131 º 36 'W), 11 m depth, Feb. 12, 1967, coll. D.B. Quayle; KML 1077, KML sta. 589 / 77, Woodruff Bay, Haida Gwaii, BC, (51 º 58.8 'N 131 º 02'W), littoral, no date, coll. W.C. Austin, 1 specimen; KML 1074, KML sta. 145 / 76, Drum Rock, Barkley Sd., BC, (48 º 53.5 'N, 125 º 23.3 'W), low littoral, Aug. 8, 1976, coll. W.C. Austin, 1 specimen; KML 1067 A, KML 45 / 76, Ross Islets, Barkley Sd., BC, (48 º 52.4 'N, 125 º 09.5'W), no depth, no date, coll. W.C. Austin, 1 specimen; KML 1072, KML sta. 72 / 72, Cree I., Barkley Sd., BC, (48 º 52.2 'N, 125 º 19.9 'W), low littoral, no date, coll. W.C. Austin; KML 1067, KML sta. 163 / 72, Dixon I., Barkley Sd., BC, (48 º 51.2 'N, 125 º 07.4'W), 9 m depth, Jul. 17, 1972, coll. W.C. Austin, 2 specimens; RBCM 973 - 5 - 1, Helby I., Barkley Sd., BC, (approx. 48 º 51 'N, 125 º 10 'W), no depth, 1973, coll. P. Lambert; RBCM 977 - 160 - 17, Hussar Pt., Nigei I., BC, (approx. 48 º 51 'N, 127 º 39 'W), no depth, no date; KML 1071, KML sta. 143 / 75, off Self Point, Helby I., Barkley Sd., BC, (48 º 50.9 'N, 125 º 09.6'W), 8 m depth, Jul. 14, 1975, coll. W.C. Austin, 1 specimen; KML 1068, KML sta. 113 / 71, Nudibranch Point, Barkley Sd., BC, (48 º 49.9 'N, 125 º 10.4 'W), low littoral, no date, coll. W.C. Austin, 1 specimen; KML 1070, KML sta. 252 / 76, S of Blow Hole, Mills Peninsula, Barkley Sd., BC, (48 º 49.3 'N, 125 º 09.8'W), 10 m depth, Nov. 4, 1976, coll. W.C. Austin, 1 specimen; KML 1079, KML sta. 48 / 84, Blue Stone Cave, Barkley Sd., BC, (48 º 49.3 'N, 125 º 09.8'W), mid-littoral pool, Jul. 12, 1984, coll. & photo W.C. Austin, 1 specimen; KML 1073, KML sta. 138 A/ 75, Bordelais Islets, Barkley Sd., BC, (48 º 49.1 'N, 125 º 02.7'W), low littoral, Jul. 12, 1975, coll. W.C. Austin, 1 specimen; KML 1065, KML sta. 184 / 75, Gowan Point, Pender I., BC, (48 º 49 'N, 123 º 19 'W), low littoral, May 25, 1975, coll. & photo W.C. Austin, 1 specimen; KML 1062, KML sta. 80 / 73, Execution Rock Cave, Barkley Sd., BC, (48 º 48.8 'N, 125 º 19.6 'W), low littoral, May 5, 1973, coll. W.C. Austin, 1 specimen; KML 1066 A, KML sta. 164 G/ 75, Execution Rock Cave, Barkley Sd., BC, (48 º 48.8 'N, 125 º 10.6 'W), low littoral, no date, coll. W.C. Austin, 1 specimen; RBCM 973 - 24 - 10, Wain Rock, Saanich Inlet, BC, (48 º 41.2 'N, 123 º 2.4 'W), littoral, Apr. 4, 1973, coll. W.C. Austin; KML 1066, KML sta. 35 / 69, Botanical Beach, Port Renfrew, BC, (48 º 31.0'N, 124 º 33.3 'W), May 5, 1969, coll. W.C. Austin; KML 1069, KML sta. 125 E/ 75, Cape Flattery Cave, Washington, (48 º 23.0'N, 124 º 43.5 'W), low littoral, Jun. 25, 1975, coll. W.C. Austin, 1 specimen; RBCM 975 - 97 - 1, San Juan Trail, Sooke, BC, (approx. 48 º 21 'N, 123 º 44 'W), no depth, Mar. 1, 1975, coll. J. Edwards; KML 1063 & 1079 A, KML sta. 86 / 90, North of Cambria, central California, (35 º 34.8 'N, 121 º 07.1'W), low littoral, Dec. 31, 1990, coll. W.C. Austin., 1 specimen.
Description. Macroscopic features. (Fig. 22 A, B). Cushion-shaped, typically 6 cm x 8 cm x 2 cm thick but may be 0.6 ¬ 6 cm thick. Surface either papillate or smooth; holotype without papillae. Two to a few 1–2 mm diameter oscula flush with and scattered over the surface in preserved material. Firm rubbery consistency; velvety to the touch. Colour alive brownish yellow.
Microscopic features. (Fig. 22 C) Ectosome about 200 µm thick; supported by vertically aligned tylostyles. Ectosome not sharply demarcated from the choanosome which contains tylostyles without any apparent orientation.
Spicules. Megascleres exclusively tylostyles, heads spherical, shaft straight or slightly bent, apices long and gradually pointed.
KML 1079 (Blue Stone Cave, with papillae) Holotype: RBCM: 982 - 66 - 1 (George Fraser I., without papillae) Remarks. The range in form from thin crusts to thick cushions, while marked, is less than the polymorphism described by Topsent (1900) in the NE Atlantic Suberites carnosus (Johnston 1842) as encrusting (S. carnosus incrustans); lobed (S. carnosus depressus), digitate with the digits forming branches (S. carnosus flavus), ramose long subcylinders here and there anastomosing (S. carnosus ramosus), bulbous and pedunculate or sessile (S. carnosus typicus). The presence or absence of papillae in thin forms is not obviously correlated with any environmental character.
We compared Suberites lambei n. sp. with other species in the temperate north Pacific. The key feature which sets this species apart from others in the NE Pacific is the width of the tylostyles which averages 13–15 µm with extremes of 25–27 and 30 µm. However, we have found two specimens which do not have any spicules more than 17.5 µm wide. Lambe (1895) briefly described a specimen with spicules averaging 16 µm in thickness from southern Alaska. However, based on his drawing and description of a long oval head, the megascleres are subtylostyles rather than tylostyles which precludes it from belonging to S. lambei. Lambe doubtfully referred his specimen to S. montiniger Carter, 1880. Koltun (1966) pointed out that the megascleres are much thicker (16 µm) than in S. montiniger (3–6 µm, rarely 10 µm in diameter) and must belong to some other species.
Other reports of massive encrusting Suberites sp. from central and southern California (Hartman 1975, Bakus & Green 1987, Lee et al. 2007) described the spicules as tylostyles over the range 160 –(384)– 580 µm x 2 –(7)– 14 or 15 µm. We have found large encrusting Suberites with thick (max. 20 µm) tylostyles from Cambria, central California which we tentatively assign to S. lambei with the suggestion that spicules at lower latitudes may be thinner (e.g., Hentschel 1929, Hartman 1958).
Suberites japonicus (Thiele, 1898) has tylostyles up to 21 µm wide but these tylostyles may be 1 mm long according to Koltun (1966). Thiele (1898) in the original description reported larger tylostyles as about 800 µm long and 12 µm wide. Tanita (1963) recorded large tylostyles as 460–980 µm long x 10–15 µm wide while Hoshino (1981) recorded large tylostyles from 560 –(730)– 815 µm x 7 –(10)– 12 µm. In any event the tylostyles of S. japonicus are much longer than those of S. lambei.
Conclusions. Suberites lambei is a distinct, recognizable species based on the shape, length and thickness of the tylostyles. The presence or absence of papillae could be genetic or ecophenotypic.
Bathymetric range. Low littoral to 10 m depth.
Geographic distribution. Sivalt I., Queen Charlotte I. (BC) to Cambria (central California). Note: there is a gap in records for Oregon and northern California.
Ecology. Typically occurs in the low intertidal on exposed rock surfaces in areas of wave surge. However, a population has been found in a tidepool in the upper intertidal within a cave. These sponges are contractile. Two specimens lost 53 % and 63 % of their volume over 10 hours in cool air. The nudibranch Doris montereyensis (Cooper 1862) has been observed feeding on S. lambei.