Shallow Suberitida (Porifera, Demospongiae) from Peru.

This study describes 81 specimens belonging to Suberitida, collected during the projects Esponjas del Perú (ESPER), Esponjas da América do Sul (EsponjAS) and Semilla UCSUR 2019 (Demospongiae) along the coast of Peru, down to 30 m depth. Using morphological analyses, eight species were identified, one of which is new to science: Halichondria (H.) cristata, H. (H.) prostrata, Hymeniacidon perlevis, Johannesia reticulosa, Plicatellopsis expansa, Suberites aff. latus, Terpios cf. granulosus and Suberites inti sp. nov. Halichondria (H.) cristata, originally from Tierra del Fuego (SW Atlantic), was found widely distributed along the coast of Peru (06° S-14° S). The Magellanican H. (H.) prostrata and the formerly Chilean endemic P. expansa are extended up to Central Peru (12° S). Hymeniacidon perlevis, which presents a highly variable morphology (colour, shape, and spicule size), is firstly reported from the SE Pacific and its continuous occurrence in Peru (04° S-17° S) should be monitored given its supposed invasive potential. Johannesia reticulosa, previously known from Chile (20° S) and southern Peru (13° S), was found further north (11° S). Suberites latus and T. granulosus were originally recorded far-off from the Peruvian coast, in British Columbia and Hawaii, respectively. Thus, the occurrences of Suberites aff. latus and Terpios cf. granulosus are unexpected and should receive special attention in future molecular studies assessing their taxonomical status. Suberites inti sp. nov. characterised by its skeleton with ectosomal bouquets and multispicular choanosomal tracts, and two categories of straight tylostyles, is provisionally endemic to Paracas (13° S). With these results, the number of shallow Suberitida from Peru increases from 2 to 9. However, this number might rise as sampling in deeper environments could bring descriptions of new records.

First record of Ciocalypta Bowerbank, 1862 (Demospongiae, Suberitida, Halichondriidae) in the Eastern Pacific, with description of a new species from Peru.

Ciocalypta includes species with finger-shaped fistules emerging from a basal mass and skeleton composed by a central axis and secondary tracts supporting the ectosome. Although worldwide distributed, no species of this genus has been reported from the Eastern Pacific. In this study, a new Ciocalypta is described from shallow waters of the southern coast of Peru. Ciocalypta magnastyla sp. nov. is greenish white, possesses the typical fistules with oscula located at their tips, and it is characterized by the presence of large styles (370-1000/5.0-32.5 µm) in combination with oxeas of intermediate size (160-500/5.0-12.5 µm). This new species constitutes the first record of the genus for the Peruvian coast as well as for the entire Eastern Pacific.