(Bean in Johnston, 1842)

Species Overview

Guancha lacunosa (Bean in Johnston, 1842), also known as Clathrina lacunosa, is an easily recognizable calcareous sponge because of its globular body on a thin stalk, making it resemble a balloon on a string. It is whitish in colour. It is often overlooked because of its small size. There is a second stalked similar sponge, G. blanca which differs in having no oxeas (microscopical examination).

Taxonomic Description

Colour: White, off-white.
Shape, size, surface and consistency: Stipitate, the stalk bearing a roughly ovoid (Guancha lacunosa BandW), sometimes slightly flattened, body, consisting of a network of thin walled anastomosing tubes. Maximum height 3 cm, although specimens are frequently less than half this size. Surface: in macro view, the sponge surface is even. The surfaces of the individual tubes are smooth. A single oscule (?sometimes more) lies at the apex of the sponge. Contraction not noticeable. Consistency: firm to soft; even tough and resilient.
Spicules: (Guancha lacunosa spics) Calcareous. Triactines are of two types: with rays of equal length, 80-300 µm; sagittal triactines with the basal ray (90-600 µm) longer than the two paired rays (60-300 µm). The latter paired rays may exhibit abnormalities. The diactinal spicules (oxeas) are 80-300 µm long. The growth point is normally marked by a central irregularity (Guancha lacunosa SEM spics).
Skeleton: The skeleton consists of triactines distributed throughout the body, with diactinal spicules occurring at the base of the body, and in the stalk.
Ecology: On vertical, hard surfaces. Often found attached to empty shells in sheltered conditions in sealochs. Also reported growing on hydroids and bryozoans. Littoral to 220 m. (Note: this small, inconspicuous and delicate species can be quite difficult to spot, but is fairly common. More habitat information is required).
Distribution: Around the Atlantic coasts of Europe it is known from Bretagne, Plymouth, Ramsgate, Scarborough, Berwick, St. Andrews, and Shetland. Recorded recently from Salcombe (Devon), Sound of Jura (Hebrides) Rathlin Island, Skomer and Strangford Lough. Also known from the Arctic and Mediterranean.
Etymology: The name refers to the lacunose habit.
Type specimen information: Bowerbank's specimens (Leucosolenia lacunosa Bow.) may include the original Bean specimens.

Remarks

The external form ("like a Clathrina coriacea on a stalk") is characteristic. This species was regarded by Burton (1963: 183) as being one of seven "named forms" comprising Clathrina coriacea (Montagu, 1818) which he accepted as the valid name for the whole complex. The species is now placed in the genus Guancha Miklucho Maclay, which differs from Clathrina in being stalked and having parasagittal triactines.
Sources: Ackers et al., 1992 (as Clathrina) (editors D. Moss and B.E. Picton); Borojevic and Boury-Esnault, 1987.

Kingdom Animalia
Phylum Porifera
Class Calcarea
Subclass Calcinea
Order Clathrinida
Family Clathrinidae
Genus Guancha
Species Guancha lacunosa

Status in World Register of Marine Species

Accepted name: Guancha lacunosa (Bean in Johnston, 1842)

Scientific synonyms and common names

Grantia lacunosa n.sp. Bean in Johnston, 1842: 176; Gray, 1848.
Leucosolenia lacunosa: Bowerbank, 1866: 28; 1874: 9, pl. IV; Carter, 1884: 17; Arnesen, 1901b: 1; Burton, 1930a: 488; Arndt, 1935: 8, fig. 7; Topsent, 1936a: 14; Lévi, 1950b: 2; Burton, 1957: 26; Burton, 1963: 197;
Ascortis lacunosa: Haeckel, 1870, vol. II: 70, III, pl. XI fig. 2, pl. XII fig. 2
? Ascetta sagittaria n.sp. Haeckel, 1870: 42, pl. 5 fig. 7
Ascandra angulata n.sp. Haeckel, 1870, vol. II: 70-71, vol. III: pl. 12 fig. 2.
Leucosolenia angulata n.sp. Von Lendenfeld, 1891: 226, pl. VIII figs. 9-14.
Ascaltis lacunosa: Hanitsch, 1890: 233.
Clathrina lacunosa: Topsent, 1891a: 525; Topsent, 1894b: 6; Rousseau, 1902: 1; Stephens, 1912: 9; Prenant, 1927: 7; Borojevic et al., 1968: 32; Ackers et al., 1992: 49, photo 128.
?Leucosolenia primordialis: Burton, 1931: 167; Brøndsted, 1932: 1; Arndt, 1935: 9 fig. 9.
?Leucosolenia sagittaria: Arndt, 1935; 9 fig. 10.
Guancha lacunosa: Borojevic and Boury-Esnault, 1987: 15, fig. 13; Borojevic et al., 1990: 252, fig. 7.

Ackers, R.G.A., D. Moss and B.E. Picton, 1992. Sponges of the British Isles ("Sponge V"), a colour guide and working document. Marine Conservation Society, 175 pp.

Arndt, W., 1935. Porifera. Tierwelt Nord.-Ostsee, IIIa: 1-140, figs. 1-239.

Arnesen, E., 1901b. Spongien fra den norske Kyst, I. Calcarea. Systematisk katalog med bemerkingner og bestemmelsetabel. Bergens Museum Årbok, 1900 (5): 1-46.

Borojevic, R. and N. Boury-Esnault, 1987. Calcareous sponges collected by N.O. Thalassia in the continental margin of the Bay of Biscaye: I. Calcinea: 3-27. In: J. Vacelet and N. Boury-Esnault, eds. Taxonomy of Porifera. Springer Verlag, Berlin, Heidelberg. NATO-ASI Series, G13: 1-332.

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

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.

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.

Brøndsted, H.V., 1932. Marine Spongia. The Zoology of the Faroes, 1 (1, III): 1-34.

Burton, M., 1930a. Norwegian sponges from the Norman collection. Proc. zool. Soc. London, 2: 487-546.

Burton, M., 1931 [1932]. The Porifera of the Isle of Man. Lancashire Sea Fisheries Lab. Rept., 1931: 167-169.

Burton, M., 1957. Plymouth Marine Fauna. 3rd ed. Porifera. Mar. Biol. Ass. U.K.: 26-36.

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

Carter, H.J., 1884. On the Spongia coriacea of Montagu = Leucosolenia coriacea Bk., together with a new variety of Leucosolenia lacunosa Bk. Ann. Mag. nat. Hist., (5) 14: 17-29.

Gray, J.E., 1848. List of specimens of British animals in the British Museum. Pt. 2, Sponges. London

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

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.

Johnston, G., 1842. A history of British sponges and Lithophytes. Lizars, Edinburgh: 1-264, 25 pls.

Lendenfeld, R. von, 1891. Die Spongien der Adria. I. Die Kalkschwämme. Z. wiss. Zool., 53 (2): 185-321, (3): 361-463.

Lévi, C., 1950b. Inventaire de la faune de Roscoff. Spongiaires. Trav. Stat. biol. Roscoff, n.s. 1 (suppl. 2): 1-28.

Prenant, M., 1927. Notes éthologiques sur la faune marine sessile des environs de Roscoff. II. Spongiaires, Tuniciers, Anthozoaires. Associations de la faune fixée. Trav. Stat. biol. Roscoff, 6: 1-58.

Rousseau, E., 1902. Note monographique sur les spongiaires de la Belgique. J. Ann. Soc. malac. Belgique, 37: 1-26.

Stephens, J., 1912. Marine Porifera of the Clare Island Survey. Proc. roy. Irish Acad., 31 (59): 1-41.

Topsent, E., 1891a. Essai sur la faune de spongiaires de Roscoff. Arch. Zool. expér. gén., (2) 9: 523-554.

Topsent, E., 1894b. Étude sur la faune des spongiaires du Pas-de-Calais, suivie d'une application de la nomenclature actuelle à la monographie de Bowerbank. Rev. Biol. Nord France, 7: 6-29.

Topsent, E., 1936b. Étude sur les Leucosolenia. Bull. Inst. Océanogr. Monaco, 711: 1-47.

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