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Phenotypic variability in the Caribbean Orange Icing sponge Mycale laevis (Demospongiae: Poecilosclerida)

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Abstract

Sponge species may present several morphotypes, but sponges that are morphologically similar can be separate species. We investigated morphological variation in Mycale laevis, a common Caribbean reef sponge. Four morphotypes of M. laevis have been observed (1) orange, semi-cryptic, (2) orange, massive, (3) white, semi-cryptic, and (4) white, massive. Samples of M. laevis were collected from Key Largo, Florida, the Bahamas Islands, and Bocas del Toro, Panama. Fragments of the 18S and 28S rRNA ribosomal genes were sequenced and subjected to phylogentic analyses together with sequences obtained for 11 other Mycale species and additional sequences retrieved from GenBank. Phylogenetic analyses confirmed that the genus Mycale is monophyletic within the Order Poecilosclerida, although the subgenus Aegogropila is polyphyletic and the subgenus Mycale is paraphyletic. All 4 morphotypes formed a monophyletic group within Mycale, and no genetic differences were observed among them. Spicule lengths did not differ among the 4 morphotypes, but the dominant megasclere in samples collected from Florida and the Bahamas was the strongyle, while those from Panama had subtylostyles. Our data suggest that the 4 morphotypes constitute a single species, but further studies would be necessary to determine whether skeletal variability is due to phentotypic or genotypic plasticity.

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Acknowledgments

This research was funded by the National Science Foundation (OCE-0550468, 1029515), NOAA/NURC (NA96RU-0260) and NOAA’s Coral Reef Conservation Program with additional support from the UNCW Brauer Fellowship, the AMNH Lerner-Gray Fund, and the Spanish Government project CTM2010-17755. Sponge collection in Florida was carried out under permit number FKNMS-2007-034. The authors would like to thank members of the Pawlik and Song laboratories, staff of STRI Bocas, crew of R/V Walton-Smith and R/V Cape Hatteras, Z. Jaafar, and J. Vicente for laboratory and field assistance. W. Freshwater helped with phylogenetic analyses. Molecular work was carried out at the UNCW Center for Marine Science DNA Core Facility.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Center for Marine Science, University of North Carolina Wilmington, 5600 Marvin K Moss Lane, Wilmington, NC, 28409, USA

    Tse-Lynn Loh, Bongkeun Song & Joseph R. Pawlik

  2. Department of Animal Biology (Invertebrates), University of Barcelona, 643, Diagonal Ave, Barcelona, 08028, Spain

    Susanna López-Legentil

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  1. Tse-Lynn Loh
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  2. Susanna López-Legentil
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  4. Joseph R. Pawlik
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Correspondence to Tse-Lynn Loh.

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Guest editors: M. Maldonado, X. Turon, M. A. Becerro & M. J. Uriz / Ancient animals, new challenges: developments in sponge research

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Loh, TL., López-Legentil, S., Song, B. et al. Phenotypic variability in the Caribbean Orange Icing sponge Mycale laevis (Demospongiae: Poecilosclerida). Hydrobiologia 687, 205–217 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10750-011-0806-1

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