Hymedesmia unistellata var. aspera Topsent, 1904

(Fig. 8I)

Hymedesmia unistellata var. aspera Topsent, 1904: 112, pl. XII fig. 7.

Timea unistellata var. aspera; Topsent 1928: 36; Lehnert & Heimler 2001: 218.

The variety was described by Topsent from Prince Albert 1 er Monaco Cruises Stat. 899, Azores, 37.95°N 29.233°W, depth 200 m (type material in the Monaco Museum and slides in the Paris Museum). The variety was largely ignored by authors reporting on the sponges from the Azores (e.g. Topsent 1928; Boury-Esnault & Lopes 1985) and the Western Mediterranean (e.g. Pulitzer-Finali 1983). Differences with the typical variety of Hymedesmia unistellata Topsent (1892: xxvii, from Cap l’Abeille, Banyuls, S of France, 42.4778°N 3.1556°E, holotype MNHN DT 2446) noted by Topsent were longer and thicker tylostyles (up to 1400 µm vs up to 400 µm) and asters have spined rays vs. smooth. The latter difference is probably not tenable, but the tylostyle size difference was reason for Lehnert & Heimler (2001) to key out the present variety as a separate taxon. Furthermore, the thin encrustations of both the present and the typical variety differ as the present variety is hispid, whereas the typical variety is “almost” smooth (confirmed by Pulitzer 1983). The two major differences, the hispid surface and much longer and thicker tylostyles appear sufficient to indicate specific difference and accordingly I propose to recognize the present variety as Timea aspera (Topsent, 1904) .