Revision of the genus Latrunculia du Bocage, 1869 (Porifera : Demospongiae : Latrunculiidae) with descriptions of new species from New Caledonia and the Northeastern Pacific

Abstract

Revision of the genus Latrunculia du Bocage, 1869, has resulted in 27 of 36 species considered to be valid. Many species have been reassigned to genera in the poecilosclerid family Podospongiidae, in particular, and many have been transferred to other Latrunculiidae genera. Latrunculia apicalis var. biformis (Kirkpatrick 1908) and Latrunculia apicalis var. basilis (Kirkpatrick 1908) have been elevated to full and separate species status, as L. biformis Kirkpatrick and L. basilis Kirkpatrick. Two new species have been described, from New Caledonia (L. novaecaledoniae sp. nov.) and the northeastern Pacific (L. austini sp. nov.). This revision also formally recognizes the two morphological subgroups triverticillata and spinispiraefera hypothesized by Alvarez et al. (2002), as the new subgenera Latrunculia (Latrunculia) subgen. nov. and Latrunculia (Biannulata) subgen. nov.. The primary distinction between these two groups is the morphology of the anisodiscorhabd microscleres. The anisodiscorhabds of Latrunculia (Latrunculia) species have a basal whorl just above the manubrium in addition to two centralized whorls of projections. The anisodiscorhabds of Latrunculia (Biannulata) species lack this basal whorl. There is some indication that there are geographic and habitat differences between the two groups.