Sarcotragus geomunensis, Sim & Lee & Kim, 2016

Sim, Chung Ja, Lee, Kyung Jin & Kim, Hyung June, 2016, Ten new species of genus Sarcotragus (Demospongiae: Dictyoceratida: Irciniidae) from Korea, Journal of Species Research 5 (3), pp. 443-458 : 444

2. Sarcotragus geomunensis n. sp. ( Fig. 2 )

Type specimen. Holotype (NIBRIV0000325790), Korea: Geomundo Island , Samsan­myeon , Yeosu­si, Jeollanamdo, 27 Feb 2002, Lee KJ, by SCUBA, depth 20 m, deposited in the NIBR.

Description. Irregular mass, size up to 8 × 5 × 3 cm. Conulous surface covered with thin filamentous membrane and perforated round opening. Conules mostly blunt except on side of sponge. Under filamentous membrane, thick primary fibres connected with branches of other primary fibres, or large webs of secondary fibres. Oscules open at the end of protruding surface, 1­3 mm in diameter. Colour, beige in life. Texture, elastic and compressible. Filaments easily separated from fibres. Primary fibres in choanosome, flattened, forming plate, and easily broken. Wide secondary plate like web locat­ ed between adjacent primary fibres. Thin branched fibres like web, spread under filamentous membrane.

Skeleton: Primary fibres, 400­750 μm in diameter. Secondary fibres, simple fasciculate branch, 80-180 μm, 200­300 μm in diameter and web pattern, 200-300 μm in diameter. Filaments, 5 μm in diameter, terminal knobs, 10­12 μm in diameter.

Etymology. This species is named after the type locality Geomundo Island.

Remark. This new species is a unique in that its choanosome primary fibres are flattened shape and easily broken. Secondary fibres have mostly web pattern.

Figures

Fig. 2. Sarcotragus geomunensis n. sp. A, entire animal; B, filamentous membrane; C, subdermal skeletal structure; D, secondary fibres web; E, primary and secondary fibres web; F, choanosome primary fibres. G-H, skeletal structure at the base of sponge. Scale bars: A=2 cm, B=100 μm, C=200 μm, D-H=100 μm.