Corvoheteromeyenia Ezcurra de Drago, 1979 (Spongillidae, Porifera): Genus review with proposal of neotype of Corvoheteromeyenia heterosclera (Ezcurra de Drago, 1974)

Abstract

Corvoheteromeyenia Ezcurra de Drago, 1979 (Spongillidae) is endemic to the Neotropical Region and was erected to comprise C. australis (Bonetto & Ezcurra de Drago, 1966) and C. heterosclera (Ezcurra de Drago, 1974). However, the distinction between these species was not well-established and the type materials were not deposited in the collections as otherwise indicated in the original descriptions. Thus, in order to elucidate their specific status, this paper provides a review of the genus and proposes a neotype designation of Corvoheteromeyenia heterosclera, following Article 75 of the International Code for Zoological Nomenclature (ICZN 1999). A total of 41 specimens were analyzed and identified as belonging to Corvoheteromeyenia. Based on the literature and additional specimens, the redescription of C. australis and C. heterosclera is presented. The acanthoxea microscleres were stated as the distinctive character of both, but are present only in C. heterosclera. Corvoheteromeyenia sanidastosclera Pinheiro, Silva & Calheira, 2015, is distinct from congeners by the presence of sanidaster gemmuloscleres and also differ from C. heterosclera by the absence of acanthoxea microscleres. A key to species of Corvoheteromeyenia is provided.

Sponge spicule and phytolith evidence for Late Quaternary environmental changes in the tropical Pantanal wetlands of western Brazil

“…7). In Brazil, studies that use phytoliths as indicators of paleoenvironments have been restricted to coastal environments, peatlands, or soils from only a few states, including Rio de Janeiro (Coe et al, 2013;Coe et al, 2014), Espírito Santo (Lorente et al, 2015), São Paulo (Calegari et al, 2015), Paraná (Rasbold et al, 2016;Parolin et al, 2017;Monteiro et al, 2015), and Minas Gerais (Augustin et al, 2014;Coe et al, 2015;Barros et al, 2016). Thus, our study is the first to apply phytolith analysis to fluvial lacustrine sediments from the Pantanal.…”

“…C. heterosclera is the most widely distributed freshwater sponge species in the Brazilian state of Pernambuco, and it has been found in aquatic environments affected by pollution (Nicacio and Pinheiro, 2015). Calheira and Pinheiro (2016) consider it an endemic from Neotropical Region species that can resist adverse conditions. A spongiofacies of Metania spinata Carter, 1881, T. variabilis, R. amazonensis and Heterorotula fistula Volkmer & Motta, 1995 was reported as characteristic of an isolated lentic environments on the Nabileque megafan ~3900 yr BP (Kuerten et al, 2013).…”

Trends and Gaps in Scientific Production on Freshwater Sponges

“…In Brazil, the studies covered sponges communities from different localities (Batista & Volkmer-Ribeiro 2002, Tavares et al 2003; studies with specimens of different genera such as Radiopongilla Penney & Racek, 1968(Nicacio et al 2011, Corvoheteromeyenia Ezcurra de Drago, 1979(Pinheiro et al 2015, Calheira & Pinheiro 2016 and a survey on the biodiversity of the freshwater sponges of northeastern Brazil (Nicacio & Pinheiro 2015). Nonetheless, it is important to highlight the limitation on morphological traits for taxonomy, and the scarcity of records for the systematic and its distribution, besides the fact that several Brazilian localities are unexplored or poorly sampled.…”

A morphological guide of neotropical freshwater sponge spicules for paleolimnological studies

“…Species information: Bonetto and Ezcurra de Drago (1966), Ezcurra de Drago (1974b), Pinheiro et al (2015b), Calheira and Pinheiro (2016).…”