RESULTS OF THE AUSTRIAN-INDIAN HYDROBIOLOGICAL
MISSION 1976 TO THE ANDAMAN lSLANDS-Part II.
REPORT ON A FRESHWATER SPONGE (PORIFERA: SPONGILLIDAE)
FROM THE ANDAMAN ISLANDS
By
KLAUS RUTZLER
Department of Invertebrate Zoology.
National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution.
Washington, D. C. 20560, U. S. A.
ABSTRACT
Rutzler, K. Results of the Austrian-Indian Hydrobiological Mission to the Andaman Islands. Part n,
Aqua. BioI. Vol. III. pp. 143-145. 1978.
Umborolula bogorel7sis (Weber) is the second record of a freshwater sponge from the Andaman
Islands. It grows on branches ofa plumatellid ectoproct from the Nayachal River. The description
of the sponge and of its habitat are supplimented by biometric and physic<H:hemical data and by
scanning electron photomicrographs of gemmules and spicules.
The Austrian Andaman Expedition (leader: Dr.Ferdinand Starmuhlner, 1. Z;oological
Institute, University of Vienna) conducted a limnological study of these rather inaccessible
Indian Ocean islands during December 1976. Seven creek and river stations were sampled
in the Diglipur region of North Andaman, 16 running water and 3 pond localities were studied
in the southeastern parts of South Andaman (Starmuhlner, 1978). The entire survey revealed
only one species of sponge from a single station. This find is the second record ofSpongillidae
from the Andamans.
I am indebted to Dr. Starmuhlner for making this material available to me for study.
Mrs. Susann G. Braden operated the scanning electron microscope.
Umborotula bogorensis (Weber)
Ephydafia b. Weber, 1890, p. 32 (Type locality: Java; Holotype: Zoologisch
Museum, Amster.dam);? Gee, 1930.
E. blembingia Evans (Gee, 1932).
Meyenia bogorensis, Penney, 1960, p. 46.
Umborofula b., Penney and Racek, 1968, p. 122 (with additional synonymy).
Habitat: Between branches of a plumatellid ectoproct, Nayachal River below
Dhanikhari-reservoir, South Andaman (Station S-AND 3),5-10 cm deep, collected 4 December
1976. At this licality the river,3-8 m wide, had cut a deep gorg~ with steep wooded slopes.
Altitude was 120 m above sea level. The bottom consisted of gravel (20 cm maximum
diameter) and sand, current velocity was 0.5-1 m/sec. Temperature at the time of collecting
varied from 29.2?C (15.00 h) to 28.8?C (16.30 h), silicon content was measured as 11 mg
Si02/l at pH 7.2 Other chemical parameters are discussed by Starmuhlner (1977).
     
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144 KLAUS RUTZLER
Description: Only minute reduced tissue fragments of light grayish tan color (formalin)
are attached to the ectoproct stolons, numerous brownish gemmules were trapped in between.
Megascleres form a' lose network connected .by small amounts of spongin. Gemmules
(Fig 1) are' spherical to slightly ovoid:490:"600 It m in diameter (Fig. la). There is a single
short porus tube (Figs. Ib, c) and a pneumatic coat with radially embedded birotulates (Fig.
Ic). The thickness of the pneumatic layer equals the length of the birotulates. The distal
rotules are exposed at the surface of the gemmules.
There are only two types of spicules. The megascleres are microspined fusiform oxea,
slightly bent in the center (Fig. 2a). They measure 240":320 (269 ? 25) JJ m in length, 11.2-12.5
(10.8 ? 1.2) pm in width. Gemmoscleres are birotulates of one size class only, with equal
umbonate rotules (Fig. 2b). The shafts are spiny, the recurved margins of the discs finely
serrated. Total length: 75-83 (77.7?2.4)' Prri; shaft diameter: 5.0-6.3 (5.2?0.5) pm; disc
diameter: 21.3-22.5 (22.2?0.8) pm (all measurements based on n=25).
Distribution: East China, Thailand, Indonesia (Java, Celebes) (Gee, 1930, 1932);
Eastern Australia (Racek, 1969).
DISCUSSION
The characteristic gemmules and spiculation and similarity of measurements with
previous descriptions leave no doubt about the identity of the present material with Umborotula
bogorensis. . Specimens from other locations were recorded as thin crusts 4-15 mm in diameter
on leaves and on branches of weeds in very shallow water (Gee, 1930). The shaft diameter
of the birotulates in the present material is thicker than that of the type specimen (3-4p m;
Penney and Racek, 1968). However thicker shafts (5-8 flm) were also reported from Java,
Thailand and East China (Gee, 1932) and from Eastern Australia (Racek, 1969).
The only other freshwater sponge known from the Andaman group (Ross Island)
is Radiospongilla crateriformis (Potts) (Annandale, 1911, p. 85, footnote; as Spongilla c.).
Gee (1931) listed this find under the name Ephydatia crateriformis var. insularis Annandale
(1911), although neither the name nor a description of var. insularis had be'en published in
Annandale's (1911) paper. Radiospongilla crateriformis has a discontinuous distribution:
United States, Mexico, China, Japan and Southeast Asia (Penney and Racek, 1968).
LITERATURE CITED
Annandale, N. 1911. Freshwater sponges, hydroids, a~d polyzoa. In: The Fauna of British India. including
Ceylon and Burma (A. E. Shipley, editor), pp. 27-126, 241-245. Taylor and Francis.: London
Gee, N. G. 1930. Notes on the fresh-water sponges from the Dutch East Indies. II. Descriptions.
Treubia, 12: 67-114.
Gee, N. G. 1931 A contribution toward an alphabetical list of the known fresh-water sponges. Peking?ll~t.
Hist. Bull. 5: 31-'52.
Gee, N. G. 1932. Ephydatia bogorellsis Weber and Ephydatia blembingia Evans. Lignall Sci. JOllrll. 11:
449-45
   
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RESULTS OF THE AUSTR[AN - [NOlAN HYDROBlOLOGICAL MISSlON 1976 145
Penney. J. T. 1960 Distribution and bibliography (1892-1957) of the freshwater sponges. VI/iv. S. Carolina
Pubis., 3: 1-97.
Penney, J. T. and A. A. Racek, 1968. Comprehensive revIsion of a worldwide collection of freshwater
sponges (porifera: Spongillidae). Bul/. V. S. Nat. Mus. 272: 1-184
Racek, A. A. 1969. The freshwater sponges of Australia (Porifera: Spongillidae). Aust. Journ. Freswat. Res.
20: 267-310.
Starmuhlner F.. 1977. Results of the Austrian-Indian Hydrobiological mission 1976 to the Andaman
Islands: Part I : Preliminary Report. Aqua. Bioi. Vol. II, 139-172.
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Aqua. BioI. III, 1978 Klau Rutzler. PLATE I.
Fig. I. Gemmules of UlIlborolll!a bogorells;s (Weber). Scanning electron photomicrographs after crilical
point drying and carbon-gold coating. a. Whole gemmula (J 20x). b. Detail of foraminal area
(500x). c. Partial longitudinal eclion through foraminal tubule (700x). d. Cross section through
pneumatic layer with embedded gemmo c1eres (IOOOx).
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 1   m oroliil  or n is ( eber). Scanning electron photomicrographs after critical 
   - ld ting, a. hole ge ula (I20x). b. etail of foramina! area 
  i l it i al s tion through fora inal tubule (700x). d. Cros  section through 
  t   e oscleres (l OOx). 
Aqua. BioI. III. 1978 Klau Rutzler. PLATE IT.
Fig. 2. Spicules of Umborolu/a bogorens;s (Weber). Scanning electron photomicrographs after carbon-gold
coating. a. Micro pined oxeon of the main keleton (400x). b. Gemmosclere (birotulate
(1200x).
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