Description and distribution of Desmacella hyalina sp. nov. (Porifera, Desmacellidae), a new cryptic demosponge in glass sponge reefs from the western coast of CanadaLauren K. Law, Henry M. Reiswig, Bruce S. Ott, Neil McDaniel, Amanda S. Kahn, Keenan C. Guillas, Curtis Dinn, Sally P. Leys The reef-building glass sponges off the coast of North America grow a rigidly latticed skeleton of silica “glass”. The skeleton allows the sponges to tower above the seafloor. The folds and crevices within them are used as a home by countless species. In this way, the reefs increase the biodiversity around them, and in 2017 the Hecate Strait Queen Charlotte Sound Glass Sponge Reefs in northern British Columbia were designated as a Marine Protected Area.
Growing tall is an advantage to the sponges too; higher tidal currents bring them more food. But not all sponges can grow an upright skeleton. Sponges in the genus Desmacella, for example, grow as a ‘crust’ on top of the glass sponges to reach the higher flows. Like a SciFi zombie-sponge, they take over they skeleton of glass sponges to use as their own. Very little is known about Desmacella species, but estimating their prevalence is important to accurately assess biodiversity in these ecologically important areas. Using the Remotely Operated Vehicle “ROPOS” we took photos along the seafloor, and collected Desmacella specimens. We even used samples collected by Citizen Scientists (thank you to Bruce and Neil), and old museum samples. Desmacella spp., we found, were found in higher densities when either dead and live glass sponges were present. In some locations they constituted nearly 20% of the sponge proportion. By analyzing the skeletal “spicule” components of our Desmacella specimens we found a new species which we named Desmacella hyalina, after the greek word huálinos, meaning “crystal glass”. We suggest that the diversity of sponges can be hidden in plain sight. To accurately assess how the species number and composition is changing over time, we need to put in a lot of work into better understanding the species that are present.
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May 2022
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