George Garcia Santos

New Genus and species of Heteroxyidae from Brazil (Axinellida: Demospongiae: Porifera), with a revised identification key for the family

Alveospongia sinuosclera gen. nov. sp. nov. is described from shallow-waters off Canavieiras (Bahia, Brazil). The species bears an unusual morphology, combining saccular or alveolar, evenly perforated habit, and sinuous spiny microrhabdose microscleres. This sponge is tentatively classified within the Heteroxyidae Dendy (1905), on the basis of its confused choanosomal architecture of styles, and possession of spiny microrhabdose microscleres. Assays to generate DNA sequences from this material were unsuccessful. We emended the diagnosis of the family to include species bearing saccular/alveolar shape, microrhabdose acanthomicrostrongyles and styles/strongyles with modifications at the ends. The proposed new genus is compared to the remaining heteroxyid genera, as well as Crella (Crellidae), Batzella (Chondropsidae), Goreauiella (Astroscleridae) and Sceptrintus (Podospongiidae). A revised key for identification of Heteroxyidae genera is provided.

Two new cleistocheliferous species of Clathria of sciophilous habitats from Northeastern Brazil (Poecilosclerida: Demospongiae: Porifera)

We describe two new species of Clathria (Microciona) Bowerbank, 1862: C. (M.) crassitoxa sp. nov. and C. (M.) trairae sp. nov. from Paraíba State (Northeastern Brazil). All are sciophilous species and are represented by small fragments removed from the substrate. Both new species have cleistochelae, and are compared with their cleistocheliferous congeners, differing from all of them by the possession of different combinations of other megascleres and microscleres.

Cladocroce caelum sp. nov. from the Brazilian coast; first record of the genus in the South Atlantic

Haplosclerida is characterized by the possession of diactinal megascleres, most commonly oxeas in isodictyal arrangement. While the sizes of spicules may be an important characteristic to identify species the skeletal architecture serves to discriminate families and genera (van Soest & Hooper 2002). Cladocroce Topsent, 1892 is characterized by the presence of multispicular fibres tracts with a rather dense subisotropic reticulation in between (De Weerdt 2002), currently with 15 valid species (van Soest et al . 2013), only three of which are from the Atlantic Ocean, and none from the South Atlantic. Here we are record a new species of Cladocroce for Brazil for the first time. Specimens were collected during a faunistic survey conducted in the area of Enseada dos Corais Beach (Pernambuco State, Brazil) and Baia da Traicao (Paraiba State, Brazil). The present contribution takes the number of valid described species of Cladocroce to 16.

Two new species of the family Niphatidae van Soest, 1980 from Northeastern Brazil (Haplosclerida: Demospongiae: Porifera)

This paper deals with niphatid sponges from the coast of the Bahia State, northeastern coast of the Brazilian shelf (southwestern Atlantic). Two new species are described, Amphimedon estelae sp. nov. and Niphates luizae sp. nov. A taxonomic study of those samples is given, including description and illustrations. Both species were compared with their congeners present in the Atlantic Ocean.

Neopetrosia de Laubenfels, 1949 from Brazil: description of a new species and a review of records (Haplosclerida: Demospongiae: Porifera)

The genus Neopetrosia was characterized by has fine brushes of oxeas issued from subectosomal tracts and compact choanosomal network. We report and describe here specimens collected in the coast of Brazil: Neopetrosia sulcata sp. nov. and Neopetrosia proxima. The first was previously recorded from Brazil as Neopetrosia proxima, but it was found that these specimens corresponded to a new species. Thus, we provide here the characterization of N. proxima from Brazilian coast. A taxonomic study of Brazilian samples is given, including description, illustrations and geographic distribution, combined with the comparison of the new species with all other descriptions of Neopetrosia from Atlantic.

Desmacella Schmidt, 1870 from Brazil: Description of two new species and a review of records (Desmacellida: Demospongiae: Porifera)

Three species of Desmacella Schmidt, 1870 are described from the Brazilian coast: Desmacella microsigmata sp. nov., Desmacella tylovariabilis sp. nov. and Desmacella annexa Schmidt, 1870. The new species were compared with Desmacella species from the Atlantic Ocean, which differ by the size of their spicules and by the presence of microspined sigmas. Desmacella annexa was found to have microspined toxiform microxeas and sigmas. Desmacella now contains 31 species distributed worldwide.

A new western Atlantic species of Didiscus Dendy, 1922 (Porifera: Demospongiae: Halichondrida) with a key to the species of the genus

Didiscus gladius sp. nov. is described from Bahia State (Brazil). The sponge is thinly encrusting to lump-shaped and has a glassy, translucent appearance, through which the spiculation is clearly visible. The megascleres are styles and two categories of oxeas. The microscleres are discorhabds. Colour is beige or brown in ethanol. Didiscus verdensis is the nearest relative in the Atlantic which differs from the new species in a series of traits (e.g. absence of true styles and presence of strongyles). A key to species of Didiscus is given.

A new species of Lissodendoryx (Anomodoryx) Burton, 1934 (Porifera: Demospongiae: Poecilosclerida) from deeper waters off the Atlantic coast of Brazil.

The members of Lissodendoryx Topsent, 1892a are recognized by a spicule combination of ectosomal tylotes or strongyles, isodictyal reticulate architecture, arcuate isochelae and sigmas (Hofman & Van Soest 1995; Van Soest 2002). Five subgenera of Lissodendoryx, are recognized (Van Soest 2002): Lissodendoryx (Acanthodoryx) Lévi, 1961, L. (Anomodoryx) Burton, 1934, L. (Ectyodoryx) Lundbeck, 1909, L. (Lissodendoryx) Topsent, 1892a, and L. (Waldoschmittia) de Laubenfels, 1936. Lissodendoryx (Anomodoryx) is defined by the presence of a single megasclere type (Van Soest 2002). Currently has six recognized species (Van Soest et al. 2014) including two from Brazil (Muricy et al. 2011): L. (A.) recife (Boury-Esnault, 1973) and L. (A.) tylota (Boury-Esnault, 1973). In this paper, a new species of L. (Anomodoryx) is described from the mesophotic zone off Bacia Potiguar (Rio Grande do Norte State, Northeastern Brazil). The specimen was preserved in ethanol 80% and deposited in the Porifera Collection of the Universidade Federal de Pernambuco (UFPEPOR).