Chaves-Fonnegra, A.; Marulanda-Gómez, A.; Mueller, B.; Lopez, J.V.; Zea S. (2017). Cliona laticavicola is an ecophenotype and an ontogenic life stage of the coral excavating sponge Cliona delitrix. In: Picton, B.E; Morrow, C. (2017). 10th World Sponge Conference. NUI Galway 25-30 June 2017. National University of Ireland, Galway, p. 58.

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Chaves-Fonnegra, A.; Marulanda-Gómez, A.; Mueller, B.; Lopez, J.V.; Zea S.

2017

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Available for editors   [request]

Excavating sponges burrow galleries and tunnels in calcareous substrata. Their epilithic portions may be papillated, encrusting or massive, and some species may pass through these stages as part of their ontogeny- growth. The red-orange excavating sponges Cliona laticavicola Pang, 1973 and Cliona delitrix Pang, 1973 were described simultaneously from the same reefs in Jamaica as separate species, the former being papillated and the latter fully encrusting. Despite similarities in spicule morphology, they appeared to be separate species due to their geographical and ecological distribution throughout the Caribbean, with papillated forms widely distributed in shallow habitats, and encrusting forms restricted to deeper settings and absent in certain localities. However, detailed observations of C. delitrix papillated recruits and their subsequent growth led us to question whether C. laticavicola and C. delitrix are the same species. Extensive morphological comparisons of material from different locations in the Caribbean showed that their tylostyle spicules strongly overlap in shape and size between both species wherever they co-exist. In addition, in Southern Caribbean localities (continental coast of Colombia and Panama) both species share a complement of unique spiraster spicules that are absent in other studied areas including the type locality. Genetic analyses using the mitochondrial segment from CO2 to ATP6 genes supported a monophyletic group with genetic distances between species compatible with conspecificity, confirming previous published work with nuclear ITS1 sequences, while microsatellites analyses suggest incomplete speciation or recent hybridization between species. Based on both morphological and genetic information, we herein suggest synonymizing the two species, choosing C. delitrix as the valid name, and C. laticavicola as an early ontogenetic life stage and an ecophenotype.

Caribbean region

Systematics, Taxonomy

Porifera

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