Bolosoma
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| Bolosoma | |
|---|---|
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| Bolosoma spp. on Sibelius Seamount | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Porifera |
| Class: | Hexactinellida |
| Order: | Lyssacinosida |
| Family: | Euplectellidae Ijima, 1904[1] |
| Genus: | Bolosoma (Ijima, 1904) |
| Type species | |
| Bolosoma paradictyum Ijima, 1903 | |
| Species | |
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See text | |
| Synonyms | |
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Bolosoma is a genus of pedunculated siliceous sponges belonging to the family Euplectellidae. This genus lives in deep-sea environments and provides a habitat for a plethora of other benthic species, giving Bolosoma an incredibly important ecological role in the ecosystems it is a part of.
Bolosoma currently contains nine species.[1]
- Bolosoma biocalum Tabachnick & Lévi, 2004
- Bolosoma cavum Ijima, 1927
- Bolosoma charcoti Tabachnick & Lévi, 2004
- Bolosoma cyanae Tabachnick & Lévi, 2004
- Bolosoma meridionale Tabachnick & Lévi, 2004
- Bolosoma musorstomum Tabachnick & Lévi, 2004
- Bolosoma paradictyum (Ijima, 1903)
- Bolosoma perezi Castello-Branco, Collins & Hajdu, 2020
- Bolosoma volsmarum Tabachnick & Lévi, 2004
Description
The body plans of this genus all consist of the main body suspended above the substrate by the peduncle. This main body can exhibit a variety of forms, such as fungiform or vase-like. This genus exhibits the leuconoid form, containing its choanocytes in a series of unlinked chambers.[2]
In terms of their visible-to-the-naked-eye megasclere spicules, all Bolosoma species have two-rayed diactin spicules forming one or more parts of their body structure. For all currently surveyed species, basalia spicules were found to be diactines, with the peduncle being shaped by long diactines. The choanosoma, atrialia, and dermalia spicules of most Bolosoma species consist mainly of diactines, with six-rayed hexactin and five-rayed pentactin spicules also present in lower concentrations.[3] In species with hexactin dermalia the ray of each spicule directed outside of the sponge wall is wider than the other rays. In species with hexactin atrialia the spicule ray facing inward towards the center of the body is wider than the other rays.[4]
The microscopic microsclere spicules of this genus vary greatly by species. Some common microscleres found in Bolosoma species' skeletons are the ball shaped discohexasters and the many-armed branching codonhexasters, the latter of which may have anchor-like structures at the ends of its branches.
Habitat and distribution
The Bolosoma are benthic organisms that live exclusively in the deep sea, preferring hard, rocky substrates such as old lava flows. This genus is found as deep as over 3,700 meters in some parts of the Pacific Ocean.[5] In these environments, Bolosoma species can be the dominant benthic species, being incredibly common in areas such as seamounts.[6] The substrate Bolosoma can grow on varies, with this genus being found on polymetallic nodules and softer surrounding sediments in areas such as the Clarion-Clipperton fracture zone.[7] Of the currently nine identified species in genus Bolosoma, all live exclusively in the Pacific Ocean with the exception of Bolosoma perezi, which can be found in the Rio Grande Rise in the Atlantic Ocean.[3]
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