Annotated catalogue of Porifera type specimens in the Belgian national collections

The national zoological collections of Belgium house 161 type specimens representing a total of 64 nominal species of Porifera. A list of extant and lost specimens is provided, presenting their original name, synonyms, museum characteristics and bibliography

A new deep sea coralline sponge from Turks and Caicos Islands: <i>Willardia caicosensis</i> gen. <i>et</i> sp. nov. (Demospongiae: Hadromerida)

A new coralline sponge, Willardia caicosensis, assigned to the family Timeidae, is described from the deep fore reef off the Turks & Caicos Islands, tropical western Atlantic Ocean, where it is common at depths ranging from 100 to 119 m. Individuals vary up to 15-20 cm in width. The relatively thin aragonitic skeleton is covered with delicate pillars up to + 1 mm. The living tissue is restricted to the spaces between pillars and a thin sheet lying above the calcareous skeleton. Exhalant canals converge upon regularly spaced central oscules on the sponge surface. Siliceous spicules include tylostyles and amphiasters which are secondarily embedded in the aragonitic moiety of the skeleton. In addition, ultrastructural characters of thechoanocytes, such as periflagellar sleeves are typical of the Order Hadromerida. Two types of cells with dense spherules are abundant in the mesohyl: sperulous cells packed with large heterogeneous inclusions, protruding at the surface of the sponge, and glycocytes with smaller ovoid corpuscles, mainly grouped along the basal calcareous skeleton. Rough collagen fibrils extend in tracts from the base of the sponge to the ectosome. Sparse bacteria are scattered in the mesohyl

Salinity change in the subtropical Atlantic : secular increase and teleconnections to the North Atlantic Oscillation

Author Posting. © American Geophysical Union, 2005. This article is posted here by permission of American Geophysical Union for personal use, not for redistribution. The definitive version was published in Geophysical Research Letters 32 (2005): L02603, doi:10.1029/2004GL021499.Recent studies comparing shipboard data between the 1950's and the 1990's have shown significant, heterogeneous adjustments of the temperature-salinity structure of the N. Atlantic Ocean. Here, we present proxy records of temperature and salinity from aragonite sclerosponge skeletons, extending existing records of the Salinity Maximum Waters (SMW) of the N. Atlantic back to 1890. These proxy records show secular temperature increases of 1.6–2.0°C, higher than published global averages, and salinity increases of 0.35–0.5 psu, smaller than short-term secular trends recently measured. Salinity reconstructions vary more significantly on the decadal scale, showing changes that are related to low-frequency variations of the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO). On both secular and decadal time scales, the records indicate significant thermohaline changes in the SMW, either via forcing at the surface or increasing depths of density surfaces in the Bahamas.This project was supported by National Science Foundation grants 9819147 and 0136941 (to P.K.S) and 9876565 and 0134998 (to S.R.T)

A Reminiscence of the Nicaraguan Filibusters.

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New sponge records (Porifera) from King George Island, Antarctica, including the description of Phorbas sp. nov.

Sponges are an important and abundant component of Antarctic marine ecosystems. They harbour a great diversity of species and play a key role in these fragile benthic communities. The aim of this study was to identify the sponges collected during the Peruvian scientific campaigns to Antarctica carried out in the austral summer of 2018 and 2019 (ANTAR XXV and ANTAR XXVI). Specimens were collected by van Veen grabbers and small dredges down to 215 m depth at Admiralty Bay, Maxwell Bay and the proximities of Bransfield Strait, along King George Island. Photographs and field notes were taken. After collection, the macroscopical features (colour, shape, surface characteristics and consistency) and the internal anatomy were assessed. Dissociated spicules and skeleton slides were prepared to characterise the shape and size of the spicules, and the type of skeleton organisation. Seven species, including four Demospongiae and three Hexactinellida, were identified. Mycale (Oxymycale) acerata Kirkpatrick, 1907 and Phorbas glaberrimus (Topsent, 1917) are new records for Mackellar Inlet (Admiralty Bay); Haliclona (Reniera) aff. altera (Topsent, 1901), Rossella antarctica Carter, 1872 and Rossella fibulata Schulze & Kirkpatrick, 1910 are firstly reported for Maxwell Bay; Rossella podagrosa Kirkpatrick, 1907 constitutes a new record for Maxwell Bay and Bransfield Strait; and Phorbas sp. nov. is new to science. Among the Antarctic species, Phorbas sp. nov. mostly resembles P. glaberrimus (Topsent, 1917) in spicule sizes (oxeas, acanthostyles and isochelae), but its morphology and skeleton organisation are different. Phorbas glaberrimus presents a massive shape and a choanosomal skeleton composed of multispicular fibres that end in a palisade at the ectosome; while, Phorbas sp. nov. has a ramose habit and a plumose choanosomal skeleton composed by spicules running towards a paratangential ectosomal skeleton. With this study, the number of sponge species recorded from King George Island raises to 36

Stable carbon isotopic composition of Mytilus edulis shells: relation to metabolism, salinity, d13CDIC and phytoplankton.

Abstract Bivalve shells can potentially record the carbon isotopic signature of dissolved inorganic carbon (d 13 C DIC ) in estuarine waters, thereby providing information about past estuarine biogeochemical cycles. However, the fluid from which these animals calcify is a &apos;pool&apos; of metabolic CO 2 and external dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC). The incorporation of respired 13 Cdepleted carbon into the skeletons of aquatic invertebrates is well documented, and may affect the d 13 C record of the skeleton. Typically, less than 10% of the carbon in the skeleton is metabolic in origin, although higher amounts have been reported. If this small offset is more or less constant, large biogeochemical gradients in estuaries may be recorded in the d 13 C value of bivalve shells. In this study, it is assessed if the d 13 C values of Mytilus edulis shells can be used as a proxy of d 13 C DIC as well as providing an indication of salinity. First, the d 13 C values of respired CO 2 (d 13 C R ) were considered using the d 13 C values of soft tissues as a proxy for d 13 C R . Along the strong biogeochemical gradient of the Scheldt estuary (The NetherlandsBelgium), d 13 C R was linearly related to d 13 C DIC (r 2 = 0.87), which in turn was linearly related to salinity (r 2 = 0.94). The mussels were highly selective, assimilating most of their carbon from phytoplankton out of the total particulate organic carbon (POC) pool. However, on a seasonal basis, tissue d 13 C varied differently than d 13 C DIC and d 13 C POC , most likely due to lipid content of the tissue. All shells contained less than 10% metabolic carbon, but ranged from near zero to 10%, thus excluding the use of d 13 C in these shells as a robust d 13 C DIC or salinity proxy. As an example, an error in salinity of about 5 would have been made at one site. Nevertheless, large changes in d 13 C DIC (&gt;2&amp;) can be determined using M. edulis shell d 13 C

Isolation of pulmonary veins using a thermoreactive implantable device with external energy transfer : evaluation in a porcine model

Background: Pulmonary vein isolation (PVI) is a well-established method for the treatment of symptomatic paroxysmal atrial fibrillation, but is only partly successful with a high rate of electrical reconnection. We introduce a novel technique in which PVI is accomplished by noninvasive heating of a dedicated thermoresponse implant inserted into the pulmonary veins (PV), demonstrated in a porcine model. Methods: A self-expanding nitinol-based implant was positioned in the common inferior PV of 11 pigs, using a fluoroscopy-guided transatrial appendage approach. Ablation was performed through contactless energy transfer from a primary extracorporal coil to a secondary heat ring (HR) embedded in the proximal part of the implant. Electrophysiological conduction was assessed prior to and postablation, and at 3 months. Histological samples were obtained acutely (n=4) and after 3 months (n=7). Results: In total, 13 PV implants were successfully positioned in the inferior PVs of 11 animals. Ablation was performed without injury of adjacent structures. PVI and bidirectional block was electrophysiologically confirmed in all cases immediately at the time of implantation and 3 months later in seven chronic animals in whom testing was repeated. Marked evidence of ablation around the proximal HR was evident at 3 months postprocedure, with scar tissue formation and only mild neointimal proliferation. Conclusions: Successful PVI can be obtained by external electromagnetic heat transfer to a novel pulmonary vein implant

Intracoronary Injection of In Situ Forming Alginate Hydrogel Reverses Left Ventricular Remodeling After Myocardial Infarction in Swine

ObjectivesThis study sought to determine whether alginate biomaterial can be delivered effectively into the infarcted myocardium by intracoronary injection to prevent left ventricular (LV) remodeling early after myocardial infarction (MI).BackgroundAlthough injectable biomaterials can improve infarct healing and repair, the feasibility and effectiveness of intracoronary injection have not been studied.MethodsWe prepared a calcium cross-linked alginate solution that undergoes liquid to gel phase transition after deposition in infarcted myocardium. Anterior MI was induced in swine by transient balloon occlusion of left anterior descending coronary artery. At 4 days after MI, either alginate solution (2 or 4 ml) or saline was injected selectively into the infarct-related coronary artery. An additional group (n = 19) was treated with incremental volumes of biomaterial (1, 2, and 4 ml) or 2 ml saline and underwent serial echocardiography studies.ResultsExamination of hearts harvested after injection showed that the alginate crossed the infarcted leaky vessels and was deposited as hydrogel in the infarcted tissue. At 60 days, control swine experienced an increase in left ventricular (LV) diastolic area by 44%, LV systolic area by 45%, and LV mass by 35%. In contrast, intracoronary injection of alginate (2 and 4 ml) prevented and even reversed LV enlargement (p < 0.01). Post-mortem analysis showed that the biomaterial (2 ml) increased scar thickness by 53% compared with control (2.9 ± 0.1 mm vs. 1.9 ± 0.3 mm; p < 0.01) and was replaced by myofibroblasts and collagen.ConclusionsIntracoronary injection of alginate biomaterial is feasible, safe, and effective. Our findings suggest a new percutaneous intervention to improve infarct repair and prevent adverse remodeling after reperfused MI

Esponjas de la Isla Rey Jorge y cercanías, Islas Shetland del Sur, Antártida

Las esponjas son organismos abundantes y usualmente dominantes en las comunidades bentónicas antárticas, donde cumplen roles ecológicos importantes. En ese sentido, es relevante conocer las especies que habitan zonas pobremente inventariadas (Campos et al., 2007). El objetivo de este estudio fue identificar las esponjas colectadas durante la Expedición Peruana ANTAR XXV (2017-2018), obtenidas mediante dragados en la Ensenada Mackellar (62°03'54''S 58°27'01''O), Bahía Maxwell (62°11'26‘‘S 58°51'34‘‘O) y al extremo norte del Estrecho de Brandsfield (62°05'06‘‘S 58°40'31‘‘O), en el marco de colaboraciones interinstitucionales. Se analizó la morfología externa (forma, superficie, color, consistencia y características de los ósculos); además, se examinaron tanto la organización del esqueleto como la forma y medida de las espículas. Fueron identificadas siete especies, agrupadas en Demospongiae (n=4) y Hexactinellida (n=3). Entre las demosponjas, Mycale (Oxymycale) acerata, previamente registrada para las Islas Decepción y Livingston, y el Estrecho de Bransfield (Van Soest et al., 2019), se reporta por primera vez para la Ensenada Mackellar (-24 m). Phorbas glaberrimus, citada para el Estrecho de Bransfield y Pasaje Drake (Van Soest et al., 2019), constituye un registro nuevo para Bahía Maxwell (-141 m). Asimismo, las otras dos especies de demosponjas, Phorbas sp. y Haliclona sp., podrían representar nuevas ocurrencias para el área. Entre las hexactinélidas, fueron identificadas tres especies del género Rossella (Rossella sp. 1, 2 y 3), que se diferencian principalmente por los tipos de espículas hipodermales y la proyección de estas en la superficie. Estos nuevos registros serán añadidos a las bases de datos de diversidad antártica ya existentes, contribuyendo a la comprensión de los patrones de distribución de las esponjas de la Antártida