Suberites latus Lambe 1893

Suberites aff. latus Lambe, 1893

(Figure 8, Figure 9, Table 8, Table 9)

Type locality. North Coast of Vancouver Island, Canada (50°48′0″N 128°3′0″W).

Material examined. Thirteen specimens. MNRJ 12882, Islote, Atenas Beach, Paracas, Ica (13°49′38.71′′S 76°18′07.41′′W), 1.8 m depth, coll. Y. Hooker, Ph. Willenz and & N. Mostajo, 13.XII.2008. MNRJ 13688, Bajo Norte, Foca Island, Piura (05°12′02.80″S 81°12′31.30″W), 14.3 m depth, coll. Y. Hooker, M. Rios & Ph. Willenz, 11.XII.2009. MNRJ 13697 and MNRJ 13698, Foca Island, Piura (05°11′43.70″S 81°12′57.80″W), 13.4 and 11.6 m depth, respectively, coll. Y. Hooker, M. Rios & Ph. Willenz, 13.XII.2009. MNRJ 14200, La Cabrillera, Foca Island, Piura (05°12′09.30″S 81°12′39.90″W), 10.7 m depth, coll. E. Hajdu and W. Vieira, 11.XII.2009. MNRJ 14202, Bajo Norte, Foca Island, Piura (05°12′02.80″S 81°12′31.30″W), 12 m depth, coll. E. Hajdu and W. Vieira, 11.XII.2009. UCSUR 07-000014, San Lorenzo Island 2, El Callao, Lima (12°05′23.07″S 77°11′45.24″W), 10 m depth, coll. L. Aguirre, XII. II.2010. UCSUR 07-000016, San Lorenzo Island 1, El Callao, Lima (12° 5′46.71″S 77°11′29.46″W), 5 m depth, coll. L. Aguirre, IX. XII.2009. UCSUR 07-000052, Atenas Beach, Paracas, Ica (13°49′13.16″S 76°18′2.81″W), 7 m depth, coll. K. Farfán, 01.II.2019. UCSUR 07-000054, Station P 06, Pachacamac Islands, Lima (12°17′40.49′′S 76°53′53.89′′W), 5 m depth, coll. B. Moreno, 04.III.2019. UCSUR 07-000068, La Vuelta, Pucusana, Lima (12°28′01.89′′S 76°47′55.36′′W), 10 m depth, coll. D. Cuba, 09. V.2019. UCSUR 07-000074, Island of Pucusana, Pucusana, Lima (12°28′41.64″S 76°47′54.96″W), intertidal, coll. G. de la Cruz, 05.X.2019. UCSUR 07-000077, Emisor de Sechura, Piura (05°42′19.27″S 80°51′27.44″W), 7 m of depth, coll. C. Gutierrez & L. Aguirre, 7.IX.2019.

Description. Thin encrusting to massive (Fig. 8A, 9A), with rather small lobes (Fig. 9B). Largest specimen (UCSUR 07-000077) measures 8.8 x 4.1 x 5.9 cm (length x width x height). Notable and small oscula (≤ 3 mm), scattered on the surface or situated on top of the lobes (Fig. 8A, B, 9A, B). Slightly compressible texture and somewhat hispid surface, but soft to the touch.

Colour. Orange in life (Fig. 8A, B, 9A, B), fading into light brown, light beige, light grey or dirty white in ethanol.

Skeleton. Ectosomal, dense layer of small and large tylostyles arranged in tufts (Fig. 8C, D, 9C). Choanosomal skeleton formed by ascending multispicular tracts of large tylostyles towards the surface, surprisingly resembling a reticulated arrangement (Fig. 8D, 9C). These tracts form an erratic path, leaving polygonal meshes behind.

Spicules. Megascleres. Tylostyles I, small, ectosomal, mostly curved and with sharp apex (70–203 x 2–8 μm, Fig. 8E, 9D, Table 8). Tylostyles II, large, ectosomal and choanosomal, slightly bent and with sharp apex (150–310 x 2–10 μm, Fig. 8F, 9E, Table 8). All tylostyles are thickest in the middle and bear well marked tyles (I: 3–8 μm; II: 5–10 μm, Fig. 8G, H, 9F, G). Microscleres. Centrotylote strongyles or oxeas, ectosomal and spined, common, rare, or absent (17–50 μm, Fig. 9H–K, Table 8).

Ecology. This species was found attached to hard substrate (natural or artificial). Specimens from the southernmost localities (Paracas and Pucusana) were close to red algae, anemones (Anthotoe chilensis), mytillids and decapods. Specimens at Foca Island were found growing on barnacles and subject to strong currents, and one of them (UCSUR 07-000077) was collected associated with a small crab and amphipods. Previous reports indicate that S. latus was generally found on Pagurus hermit crabs or less frequently, on mollusc shells (Lambe 1893; de Laubenfels 1961; Lee et al. 2007; Austin et al. 2014).

Geographical and bathymetrical distributions. Suberites latus has a wide distribution range in the NE Pacific, including British Columbia (Lambe 1893; Austin et al. 2014), Alaska (Lambe 1895; Austin et al. 2014), California (de Laubenfels 1932; Lee et al. 2007), Oregon (Long 1968) and Washington (de Laubenfels 1961; Long 1968) and has been reported down to 183 m depth (Lambe 1895; Lee et al. 2007; Austin et al. 2014). Suberites aff. latus occurs along the coasts of Peru in Foca Island (05°), San Lorenzo Island, Pachacamac Islands, Pucusana (12°) and Paracas (14°). MEOW in Peru: Guayaquil, Central Peru and Humboldtian ecoregions (Spalding et al. 2007). From intertidal to 14 m depth (this study).

Remarks. Suberites latus was originally described by Lambe (1893) as a subhemispheric and broadly lobated sponge, with confused choanosomal structure, composed of two tylostyle categories (I: 170 x 9 μm; II: 294–524 x 13 μm), occurring in British Columbia. Briefly after, Lambe (1895) reviewed his previous specimens adding new ones from Alaska and found centrotylote strongyles (32 x 3–4.9 μm). Further descriptions of this species claimed to confirm these characteristics (Lambe 1895; Laubenfels 1961; Lee et al. 2007; Austin et al. 2014; Table 9).

The Peruvian specimens mostly match the descriptions of Austin et al. (2014) from NE Pacific, mainly in the skeleton arrangement and spicule characteristics. In our analysed specimens, the tendency to form reticulated choanosomal meshes, the presence of ectosomal tufts of small and large tylostyles and the two categories of tylostyles and centrotylote strongyles/oxeas of similar sizes were also observed. Concerning the presence of microscleres, Austin et al. (2014) indicated that microspined centrotylote strongyles/oxeas could be common, rare, or absent among specimens, which is also observed in the specimens from Peru, without any notorious restriction by location. Despite this, there are some differences. While species of Austin et al. (2014) can have encrusting to massive amorphous form and brownish yellow to brownish red-orange colour in life, the Peruvian specimens are encrusting to massive but with rather small lobes and orange in life. Moreover, Austin et al. (2014) reported S. latus from deeper (150 m) subarctic waters (Alaska).

*Misprint for 380 or 480 (Austin et al. 2014)

The distance of the over 7,000 km existing between the occurrences of the Peruvian specimens and what was until now known as S. latus, besides the differences aforementioned, lead us to conclude that our Peruvian species should be better assigned as Suberites aff. latus. In previous descriptions of S. latus, there has been no mention of a reticulated skeleton, but rather a confused one (Lambe 1893; de Laubenfels 1932; Lee et al. 2007). In addition, S. latus is usually found associated with hermit crabs (Lambe 1893; de Laubenfels 1961; Lee et al. 2007; Austin et al. 2014), which was not observed in the specimens collected in Peru.

Considering the species previously reported from the SE Pacific, namely Suberites cranium Hajdu, DesqueyrouxFaúndez, Carvalho, Lôbo-Hajdu & Willenz, 2013 from Chiloé Island (Chile), S. puncturatus Thiele, 1905 from Coquimbo (Chile) and S. ruber Thiele, 1905 from Almirantazgo Sound (Chile), clear differences can be highlighted when compared with the specimens from Peru. Suberites cranium presents nearly hemispheric habitus, ectosomal skeleton in palisade composed of tylostyles, mostly confused choanosomal skeleton and thicker tylostyles in both size categories (≤ 16 μm). Different from S. aff. latus, S. puncturatus presents tylostrongyles and S. ruber bears choanosomal tylostyles which are larger (≤ 700 μm), often sinuous and with heads irregularly shaped. Moreover, none of these species bears microscleres.