Haeckel, 1870

Species Overview

Leucaltis clathria Haeckel (1870) is a whitish mass of intertwined tubes, with small oscules scattered over the branches. It has characteristic spiculation (microscopic examination). It has been recorded once from the coast of Portugal.

Taxonomic Description

Colour: White to yellowish grey (alcohol).
Shape, size, surface and consistency: A clathrate mass of anastomosing tubes. Size only a few mm in diameter. Oscules scattered over the tubes. Consistency firm, friable.
Spicules: (Leucaltis clathria spics) Calcareous. Ectosomal triactines, regular, rays: 400-600 x 30-50 µm; subectosomal tetractines, regular, rays: 800-1200 x 100-150 µm; choanosomal triactines and tetractines, regular to somewhat sagittal, rays: 30-70 x 2-3 µm.
Skeleton: (Leucaltis clathria skel) Ectosomal: there is a cortex of several layers of tangential triactines, supported by rays of the subectosomal tetractines. Chamber skeleton: formed by the apical rays of subectosomal tetractines and small scattered tri-and tetractines. Atrial: several tangential layers of tetractines.
Ecology: Littoral down to 82 m.
Etymology: clathrium (Latin) = latticework, referring to the shape.
Distribution: West coast of Portugal; elsewhere reported e.g. from Bermuda and various Pacific localities, which need confirmation.
Type specimen information: No type mayterial in the Natural History Museum, London.

Remarks

The species is easily recognised by the huge subdermal tetractines. The species was reported from Portugal under the name Heteropegma nodusgordii, which is generally considered a junior synonym of L. clathria. The specific identity of the Portuguese record needs further confirmation.
Source: Burton, 1963.

Kingdom Animalia
Phylum Porifera
Subphylum Cellularia
Class Calcarea
Subclass Calcinea
Order Clathrinida
Family Leucaltidae
Genus Leucaltis
Species Leucaltis clathria

Status in World Register of Marine Species

Accepted name: Leucaltis clathria Haeckel, 1872

Scientific synonyms and common names

Leucaltis clathria n.sp. Haeckel, 1870: 159, pl. XXVIII fig. 3; Burton, 1963: 549, fig. 353; Borojevic et al., 1990: 258, fig. 16.
Heteropegma nodusgordii n.sp. Poléjaeff, 1883; Hanitsch, 1895: 209
Leucettusa corticata: Burton, 1963: 549.

Borojevic, R., N. Boury-Esnault and J. Vacelet, 1990. A revision of the supraspecific classification of the subclass Calcinea (Porifera, class Calcarea). Bull. Mus. natn. Hist. nat., Paris, (4) 12 (A,2): 243-276.

Burton, M., 1963. A revision of the classification of the calcareous sponges. British Museum (Natural History), London. 693 pp.

Haeckel, E., 1870 (1872). Die Kalkschwämme, eine Monographie. 3 vols. Reimer, Berlin.

Poléjaeff, N., 1883. Report on the Calcarea dredged by H.M.S. Challenger during the years 1873-76. Res. Voy. Challenger, Zool., 24: 1-76.

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