New species ofSpongia(Porifera: Demospongiae: Dictyoceratida) from New Zealand, and a proposed subgeneric structure

Abstract

This paper is the fifth in a series revising the taxonomy of New Zealand dictyoceratid sponges (phylum Porifera, subclass Ceractinomorpha, order Dictyoceratida). Six new species of the genus Spongia are added to New Zealand's known fauna. The use of subgenera within the genus Spongia is discussed, and two new subgenera are proposed. The genus Hippospongia is revised, and an emended generic diagnosis is proposed.

Spongia (Heterofibria) sucrensis sp. nov. (Dyctioceratida: Spongiidae): una nueva especie de esponja para el Caribe colombiano

“…In the same way, the new species differs from S. (H.) corallina and S. (H.) purpurea in that their peudo-tertiary fibers are connected to a dermal membrane and not to primary or secondary fibers (Kim and Sim, 2009). For the New Zealand species presented in Cook and Bergquist (2001), the new species is similar in skeletal architecture to S. (H.) decooki [same as S. (H.) cristata] and S. (H.) mokohinau, but in external morphology, it differs consistently. The external morphology is a character that can vary in some species of sponges depending on the habitat.…”

“…Similarly, it is the first time that the subgenus Heterofibria has been recorded in the Caribbean. Previously, the subgenus had only been recorded in South America on the Ilha das Aranhas in the state of Santa Catarina (Brazil) (Mothes et al, 2006;Muricy et al, 2011), in New Zealand (Cook and Bergquist, 2001), in Korea (Kim and Sim, 2009) and on the east coast of South Africa . This new species is close to Spongia (Heterofibria) catarinensis (Mothes et al, 2006), but its su morfología externa se diferencia de esta en que las proyecciones esparcidas lateralmente están elevadas; no presenta ósculos ubicados en proyecciones lobadas discretas, elevadas de su superficie; los microcónulos son más pequeños (0,3-0,8 mm); el diámetro máximo de los ósculos es mayor (3 mm por 2 mm en S. catarinensis) y no hay una membrana translúcida circundando la abertura de estos.…”

“…The external morphology is a character that can vary in some species of sponges depending on the habitat. However, in this case, morphology has been used to differentiate the species of this subgenus (Cook and Bergquist, 2001;Samai et al, 2019). In the present work, the shape of the oscula of the new species is used as a differentiating character, since, both in the holotype and in the paratypes, despite being from different habitats, the oscula as perforations of the dermis, so it seems to be a consistent character.…”

“…These are characterized by having a skeleton of homogeneous spongin fibers, without distinctive laminations, generally dominated by a network of sub-primary fibers, and also by having diplodal choanocytes chambers. This family consists of six valid genera, one of which, Spongia Linnaeus, 1759, includes three subgenera: Spongia, Heterofibria Cook, and Bergquist, 2001and Australospongia Cook and Bergquist, 2001(Cook and Bergquist, 2001. Species of the genus Spongia possess a surface of uniformly arranged low conules.…”

“…Fibers with a larger diameter are called secondary and those with a smaller diameter pseudo-tertiary, which generates a sub-primary reticulum (Cook and Bergquist, 2001). The first species of the subgenus Heterofibria described were S. corrugata Bergquist, 2001, S. decooki Van Soest andHooper, 2020 (same as Spongia (Heterofibria) cristata Cook and Bergquist, 2001), S. gorgonocephalus Cook and Bergquist, 2001, S. manipulatus Cook and Bergquist, 2001and S. mokohinau Cook and Bergquist, 2001 in New Zealand, based on a review of the genus Spongia (Cook and Bergquist, 2001). This subgenus is represented in the Brazilian Atlantic by S. catarinensis Mothes, Kasper, Lerner, Campos, andCarraro, 2006.…”