Scientific Reports
Info
Abyssocladia johnhooperi is currently only known from the type locality in the Cape Range Canyon in the Ningaloo region of northwestern Australia, from abyssal depths.
The holotype consists of a stalked sponge 47 mm in length, which is perpendicular to a vertical wall and slightly twisted so that the disc faces the sea surface.
The sponge has a long stalk supporting the center of the dorsal surface of the disc-shaped body.
The body has filaments radiating in a single plane from the disc margin.
The round sponge body has a diameter of 7 mm and a thickness of 2 mm.
The stalk was 43 mm long and 0.4 mm wide.
Color: white underwater, with an orange center to the body disk
Although members of this genus were described as early as the 19th century during the Challenger expedition, the strange wonder of Cladorhizidae sponges was not fully appreciated until the 21st century.
Unlike other sponges, which feed on suspended particles or microorganisms, members of the Cladorhizidae family are carnivorous and actively capture and digest their prey, holding it with specialized needles until the cells swarm out and digest the tissue.
The research vessel Falkor's journey through Australia's waters in 2020/2021 resulted in the collection of many new species, including a black coral and a sponge that were named among the top ten marine species in 2022 and 2023. The Falkor finds are now joined by Abyssocladia johnhooperi Ekins & Wilson, 2024, a carnivorous Cladorhizidae sponge. Like most members of Abyssocladia, Abyssocladia johnhooperi has a radiating, umbrella-like crown on a short stalk.
Genetic data from samples collected by the research vessel Falkor, including Abyssocladia johnhooperi, show that Australia is home to several lineages of deep-sea carnivorous sponges and highlight the potential for discovering biodiversity, as several samples that were genotyped could not be assigned to any known species. The overall diversity of Cladorhizidae thus remains dynamic, and new discoveries and new technologies are likely to yield new species and possibly new top ten winners in the years to come.
Etymology. The sponge was named after John N. A. Hooper, a well-known sponge taxonomist who introduced the first author to the wonderful world of sponges.
Similar species: lat is most similar morphologically to one of the specimens of Abyssocladia jeanvaceleti and Abyssocladia stegosaurensis Hestetun, Rapp & Pomponi, 2019, with the in situ radial filaments.
Literature reference:
Ekins, M., Horowitz, J., Beaman, R. J. & Hooper, J. N. A.
A new carnivorous sponge (Porifera) from the Coral Sea. Mem. Queensland. Mus.62, 205–215. https://doi.org/10.17082/j.2204-1478.62.2021.2020-06 (2021).
Open access
The holotype consists of a stalked sponge 47 mm in length, which is perpendicular to a vertical wall and slightly twisted so that the disc faces the sea surface.
The sponge has a long stalk supporting the center of the dorsal surface of the disc-shaped body.
The body has filaments radiating in a single plane from the disc margin.
The round sponge body has a diameter of 7 mm and a thickness of 2 mm.
The stalk was 43 mm long and 0.4 mm wide.
Color: white underwater, with an orange center to the body disk
Although members of this genus were described as early as the 19th century during the Challenger expedition, the strange wonder of Cladorhizidae sponges was not fully appreciated until the 21st century.
Unlike other sponges, which feed on suspended particles or microorganisms, members of the Cladorhizidae family are carnivorous and actively capture and digest their prey, holding it with specialized needles until the cells swarm out and digest the tissue.
The research vessel Falkor's journey through Australia's waters in 2020/2021 resulted in the collection of many new species, including a black coral and a sponge that were named among the top ten marine species in 2022 and 2023. The Falkor finds are now joined by Abyssocladia johnhooperi Ekins & Wilson, 2024, a carnivorous Cladorhizidae sponge. Like most members of Abyssocladia, Abyssocladia johnhooperi has a radiating, umbrella-like crown on a short stalk.
Genetic data from samples collected by the research vessel Falkor, including Abyssocladia johnhooperi, show that Australia is home to several lineages of deep-sea carnivorous sponges and highlight the potential for discovering biodiversity, as several samples that were genotyped could not be assigned to any known species. The overall diversity of Cladorhizidae thus remains dynamic, and new discoveries and new technologies are likely to yield new species and possibly new top ten winners in the years to come.
Etymology. The sponge was named after John N. A. Hooper, a well-known sponge taxonomist who introduced the first author to the wonderful world of sponges.
Similar species: lat is most similar morphologically to one of the specimens of Abyssocladia jeanvaceleti and Abyssocladia stegosaurensis Hestetun, Rapp & Pomponi, 2019, with the in situ radial filaments.
Literature reference:
Ekins, M., Horowitz, J., Beaman, R. J. & Hooper, J. N. A.
A new carnivorous sponge (Porifera) from the Coral Sea. Mem. Queensland. Mus.62, 205–215. https://doi.org/10.17082/j.2204-1478.62.2021.2020-06 (2021).
Open access
