Chondropsis lamella (Lendenfeld, 1888)

Fig. 18, Table 2

Phoriospongia lamella Lendenfeld, 1888: 194 .

Material examined

PONTA DO OURO • several fragments in alcohol, the larger 4 × 2 cm and 8 mm thick; 26°49′50.408″ S, 32°53′45.977″ E; Doodle; 18 m deep; 14 Nov. 2015; Torsani leg.; PdO18 c • 1 fragment, preserved dry, 6× 3× 2 cm; 26°47′34.8″ S, 32°53′57.668″ E; Close; 9 Feb. 2017; 18.6 m deep; Cerrano leg.; PO32 • 3 fragments, in alcohol, the larger about 3.5×3× 2 cm; 26°47′34.8″ S, 32°53′57.671″ E; Close; 9 Feb. 2017; 18.6 m deep; Cerrano leg.; PO33 • 3 small fragments about 1 cm 3; 26°49′55.65″ S 32°53′52.982″ E; Tea Garden; 19.7 m deep; 6 Mar. 2017; Cerrano leg.; PO79 .

Description

The sponge is lamellate, erect or massive (Fig. 18 A–C). Oscules visible in the live specimens are small, slightly elevated and transparent (Fig. 18B). The sponge is brownish-orange in color and has an areolate surface (Fig. 18A). The samples preserved in alcohol are dark brown and have a stone-like consistence, but are friable and maintain the areolate surface; the abundant presence of sediment is clearly evident.

SKELETON. The ectosome and the choanosome are almost completely made by columns of grains, with brushes of spicules close to the surface.

SPICULES. Thin strongyles (Fig. 18D) with sometimes blunted tips (Fig. 18E), 90–(123.5, 15.3)–150 μm× 3–(4.75, 1)–6.5 μm; C-shaped sigmas of two sizes (Fig. 18F): 40–55 μm and 20–25 μm.

Remarks

The examined material fits the original description of Chondropsis lamella (Lendenfeld, 1888) from Australia; only the color is different: brownish-orange in the examined samples, instead of greyishpink; this difference may be due to the nature of the foreign bodies used by the sponge in very large quantity to build its skeleton. Chondropsis lamella has an Indo-Pacific distribution (Van Soest et al. 2019) and has already been recorded in this area (Vacelet et al. 1976). Species characteristics of the genus Chondropsis Carter, 1886 from the original descriptions are resumed in Table 2. Chondropsis isimangaliso was recently described by Samaai et al. (2019) from eastern South Africa; it is similar in its external morphology to the specimens here described, but it differs in having a single category of sigmas.

On the sample PO79, the hydroid Zyzzyzus warreni Calder, 1988 (Class Hydrozoa, Phylum Cnidaria) was detected.