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Abstract
A new sponge species (Demospongiae: Agelasida: Agelasidae) is described from the eastern coast of Unguja Island in the Zanzibar Archipelago. Agelas sansibarica sp. n. is compared to all other Agelas species described so far. The new species differs from its congeners mainly in its three categories of verticillate spicules (acanthostyles, acanthostrongyles, and acanthoxeas) and their sizes. Acanthostrongyles, well represented in the spicular complement, are an exclusive trait of the new species widening the morphological range of the genus. Summarizing on spicular complement and spicular morphotraits of 36 species belonging to the genus Agelas: i) 32 species show only acanthostyles from Indo-Pacific (n = 14), Atlantic (n = 17), and Mediterranean (n = 1); ii) three Indo-Pacific species show acanthostyles and acanthoxeas; iii) one species Agelas sansibarica sp. n. from the western Indian Ocean is characterised by the unique trait of three categories of verticillate spicules (acanthostyles, acanthostrongyles and acanthoxeas). A key for the Indo-Pacific species is supplied together with short descriptions, illustrations, and geographic range; literature on chemical bioprospecting of the genus Agelas is also provided.
Highlights
IntroductionThe sponge fauna of the Zanzibar Archipelago is poorly studied and data are reported almost exclusively in very old papers (Lendenfeld 1897, Baer 1906, Jenkin 1908, Sollas 1908, Thomas 1976)
The sponge fauna of the Zanzibar Archipelago is poorly studied and data are reported almost exclusively in very old papers (Lendenfeld 1897, Baer 1906, Jenkin 1908, Sollas 1908, Thomas 1976). In none of these papers species belonging to the genus Agelas Duchassaing & Michelotti, 1864 (Porifera: Demospongiae: Agelasida: Agelasidae) are reported
The present paper aims to report the discovery of a new species of Agelas from the Zanzibar Archipelago comparing it to all species belonging to the genus
Summary
The sponge fauna of the Zanzibar Archipelago is poorly studied and data are reported almost exclusively in very old papers (Lendenfeld 1897, Baer 1906, Jenkin 1908, Sollas 1908, Thomas 1976). Murray et al 2013) focuses on Agelas species as producers of interesting molecules e.g. A_clathrodes, A. linnaei, A. mauritiana, A. nakamurai, A. oroides, and A. sceptrum (Walker et al 1981, Fathi-Afshar et al 1989, Keifer et al 1991, Braekman et al 1992, Bernan et al 1993, König and Wright 1993, Chanas et al 1996, König et al 1998, Eder et al 1999, Assmann et al 2000, 2001, 2004, Fattorusso and Taglialatela-Scafati 2000, Assmann and Köck 2002, Fujita et al 2003, Bickmeyer et al 2004, 2005, 2008, Bickmeyer 2005, Costantino et al 2006, Meketa and Weinreb 2006, Ferretti 2006, Vik et al 2006, Ding et al 2007, Ferretti et al 2007, 2009, Vergne et al 2008, Hertiani et al 2010, Said et al 2010, Regalado et al 2011, Mordhorst et al 2015) In this scenario of intensive bioprospecting, research knowledge of systematics and taxonomy in depth is a key tool to identify and define the status of specimens/biomaterial to be processed. Agelas species from the Indo-Pacific area is provided together with a brief description and exhaustive iconography, as well as a dichotomous key to Indo-Pacific species
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