(Bowerbank, 1866)

Species Overview

Raspailia (Raspailia) ventilabrum (Bowerbank, 1866) is branching-erect orange sponge, of which the branches tend to divide rarely and only in one plane. Branches villous. It differs from other Raspailia species primarily in the colour and the villous nature of the surface. It has been recorded several times from the soutwest coasts of the British Isles and the west coasts of France.

Taxonomic Description

Colour: Bright orange-yellow.
Shape, size, surface and consistency: Branching-erect to fan-shaped. From a short stalk (2.5 cm long) numerous branches arise more or less at the same diverging point and in a single plane, thus simulating a fan-shape. They rarely or at all divide further. Other specimens had fewer branches and thus did not simulate a fan-shape. Size up to 12 x 12 cm. Branches 5-10 mm in diameter, cylindrical in outline. Surface villose, with a central axis at right angles from which issue spicule brushes in a penicillate manner. Consistency: flexible.
Spicules: (Raspailia ventilabrum spics) Styles, slightly curved: up to 1200 x 10-15 µm; acanthostyles, entirely spined: 100 x 4 µm; oxeas or anisoxeas: 400-800 x 3-10 µm (measured from Bowerbank's plate).
Skeleton: Extra-axial: the usual Raspailid brushes of (anis-)oxeas surrounding a single large style; axial: a central longitudinally arranged mass of styles echinated by acanthostyles.
Ecology: On rocky bottom, deeper water, 25-55 m.
Distribution: S and W coast British Isles, Roscoff, Iles des Glénans.
Etymology: ventile (Latin) = fan, referring to the tendency to branch in a single plane.
Type specimen information: The type is in the Natural History Museum, London: BMNH 1930.7.3.51 (dry).

Remarks

This is an apparently distinct Raspailia species through the combination of live colour, villous nature of the branches and the tendency to branch in one plane. It needs redescription of fresh material to make the distinctions with R. (R.) ramosa and R. (R.) hispida more clear.
Source: Bowerbank, 1866.

Kingdom Animalia
Phylum Porifera
Class Demospongiae
Order Poecilosclerida
Suborder Microcionina
Family Raspailiidae
Subfamily Raspailiinae
Genus Raspailia
Subgenus Raspailia
Species Raspailia ventilabrum

Status in World Register of Marine Species

Synonym of Raspailia (Raspailia) ventilabrum (Bowerbank, 1866)

Scientific synonyms and common names

Dictyocylindrus ventilabrum n.sp. Bowerbank, 1866: 100; 1874: 41, pl. XVI figs. 1-5.
Raspailia ventilabrum: Hanitsch, 1890: 212; Cabioch, 1968: 222; Borojevic et al., 1968: 13; Descatoire, 1969a: 190.

Borojevic, R., L. Cabioch and C. Lévi, 1968. Spongiaires. Inventaire Faune Marine de Roscoff. 44 pp.

Bowerbank, J.S., 1866. A monograph of the British Spongiadae, II. Ray Society, London: i-xx, 1-388.

Bowerbank, J.S., 1874. A monograph of the British Spongiadae, III. Ray Society, London: i-xvii, 1-367, pls. I-XCII.

Cabioch, L.,1968. Contribution à la connaissance de la faune des spongiaires de la Manche occidentale. Démosponges de la région de Roscoff. Cah. Biol. mar., 9: 211-246.

Descatoire, A., 1969a. Peuplements sessiles de l' Archipel de Glénan. I. Inventaire: Spongiaires. Vie Milieu, (B) 20(1,B): 177-210.

Hanitsch, R., 1890. Third report on the Porifera of the L.M.B.C. District. Trans. biol. Soc. Liverpool, 4: 192-238, pls. X-XV.

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