(Bowerbank, 1862)

Species Overview

Leucandra gossei (Bowerbank, 1862) is a hard white massive sponge with an optically smooth surface. Oscules are few and on top. It is a calcareous sponge and can only be confused with Leuconia nivea, which also may be massive (though mostly encrusting and thinner). The latter species has much smaller oxeas and tetractines among the spicule complement. L. gossei is a southern species reaching its northern limit along the south coasts of the British Isles.

Taxonomic Description

Colour: White/beige.
Shape, size, surface and consistency: Massive, lobed or encrusting. Surface irregular in profile. There is a rough feel to it although it is not hispid. Oscules are few in number and found at the tops of lobes. They have raised rims but no collar of spicules, and may become subfistulose. Consistency firm, brittle, hard, breaks if bent.
Spicules: (leucandra_gossei_spics.jpg) Calcareous. The ectosomal triactines are symmetrical, rays: 70-100 µm; triactines of the chamber layer have rays: 70-200 µm.
The regular choanosomal tetractines have rays: 100-120 µm.
The ectosomal oxeas are large and distinctively fusiform in shape: 400-600 µm.
Skeleton: Ectosomal skeleton is a tangential layer of triactines, with oxeas which lie obliquely, without projecting beyond the surface. The skeleton of the chamber layer consists of irregularly arranged triactines, occasionally tetractines. The choanosomal skeleton is a tangential layer of tetractines which line the canals.
Reproduction: Larvae in July and August (Dubosq and Tuzet, 1942).
Ecology: This species is mainly found in the infralittoral in clean water and seems to be uncommon.
Distribution: British Isles; Atlantic coasts of France and Portugal. Probably confined to SW of the British Isles.
Etymology: Named after the collector of the type specimen, Mr Gosse of Torquay, S England.
Type specimen information: The type is in the Natural History Museum, London: BMNH 1955.11.2.42 (Bk. 297) (dry + slide). MCS Voucher BELUM: Mc12. Padstow, N. Cornwall.

Remarks

Distinctive among most other sponges in the area in having a massive, lobed growth form rather than the tubular form of most Calcarea. The texture and white coloration combined with the calcareous spicules are characteristic. Only the very common Leuconia nivea may be similar, but is readily distinguished by being more irregular in shape and by the absence of large oxeas; the tetractines of L. nivea are sagittal.
Source: Ackers et al., 1992 (S.M. Stone, D. Moss, B.E. Picton).

Kingdom Animalia
Phylum Porifera
Class Calcarea
Subclass Calcaronea
Order Leucosolenida
Family Grantiidae
Genus Leucandra
Species Leucandra gossei

Status in World Register of Marine Species

Accepted name: Leucandra gossei (Bowerbank, 1862)

Scientific synonyms and common names

Leucogypsia gossei n.sp. Bowerbank, 1862: 1092; Bowerbank, 1864: 165, pl. XXVI figs. 349-350; Bowerbank, 1866: 42; Bowerbank, 1874: 13, pl. VI figs. 6-8; Bowerbank, 1882: 26.
Leuconia gossei: Schmidt, 1864: 8; Stephens, 1912: 13; Dendy and Row, 1913: 770; Burton, 1931: 167; Burton, 1957: 27; Burton, 1963: 505; Bruce et al., 1963: 43; Borojevic et al., 1968: 35; Descatoire, 1969a: 180; Ackers et al., 1985: 57, fig. 25; 1992: 55, fig. 25.
Leucandra gossei: Haeckel, 1870: 177, pl. 32 fig. 2; pl. 37 fig. 9; Higgin, 1886: 91; Topsent, 1891a: 526; Prenant, 1927: 52; Topsent, 1932: 1; Topsent, 1937: 9.

N.B. This species was treated by Burton (1963: 505) as being one of several named forms comprising Aphroceras ensata (Bowerbank, 1858: 295), the name which he regarded as valid for the whole complex.

Ackers, R.G., D. Moss, B.E. Picton and S.M.K. Stone, 1985. Sponges of the British Isles ("Sponge IV"). I. Marine Conservation Soc., Ross on Wye, U.K.: 1-107.

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.

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

Bowerbank, J.S., 1862. On the anatomy and physiology of the Spongiadae. Phil. Trans. roy. Soc. London, 152: 747-829, 1087-1135, pls. XXVII-XXXV, LXXII-LXXIV.

Bowerbank, J.S., 1864. A monograph of the British Spongiadae.I. Ray Soc., London: i-xx, 1-290, 37 pls.

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.

Bowerbank, J.S., 1882. A monograph of the British Spongiadae, IV. Ray Society, London. xvii, 250 pp., 17 pls.

Bruce, J.R., J.S. Colman and N.S. Jones, 1963. Marine fauna of the Isle of Man and its surrounding seas. L.M.B.C. Memoirs, 36. 307 pp. (sponges: 42-47).

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.

Dendy, A. and H. Row, 1913. The classification and phylogeny of the calcareous sponges, with a reference list of all the described species, systematically arranged. Proc. Zool. Soc. London, 53: 704-813.

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

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

Higgin, T., 1886. Report on the Porifera of the L.M.B.C. District. 1st. Rept.Fauna Liverpool Bay: 72-94.

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.

Schmidt, O., 1864. Supplement der Spongien des adriatischen Meeres. Engelmann, Leipzig. 48 pp.

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., 1932. Remarques sur des Éponges de l'estuaire de la Rance. Bull. Lab. St. Servan, 8: 1-7.

Topsent, E., 1937. Sur les Leucandra des côtes de France. Bull. Inst. Océanogr., Monaco, 728: 1-15.

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