Haliclona rossica Hentschel, 1929

Morozov, Grigori, Sabirov, Rushan Mirzovich & Anisimova, Natalia, 2018, New data on sponges from Svalbard Archipelago with a description of a new species of Halicnemia, Journal of Natural History (J. Nat. Hist.) 52 (7 - 8), pp. 491-507 : 501-503

Haliclona rossica Hentschel, 1929

( Figure 7 (a–e1))

Reniera rossica Hentschel 1929, p. 984

Reniera indistincta: Swartschewsky 1906, p. 327 , pl. 14, fig. 14a, b

Haliclona rossica: Koltun 1959, p. 218 , fig. 177

Description

( Figure 7 (c)) Sponge massive-lumpy, up to 2.5 cm in height. Surface slightly scabrous, with small sinuous furrows. Consistency is soft and compressible. Thin dermal membrane is only detachable with part of the choanosome attached. Oscula conspicuous, but not numerous, about 2–3 mm in diameter. Colour light brown.

Skeleton

( Figure 7 (a), 7(b)) Main skeleton is quite loose and formed by extensive, compact spicule tracts which interconnected by single spicules. Spicule tracts terminate near the surface

forming spicule brushes, which supporting the dermal membrane. Skeleton of dermal membrane is a layer of spicules lying tangentially.

Spicules

( Figure 7 (d–e1)) Slightly curved, occasionally centrotylote (with poorly pronounced tyle at the middle of the shaft), short-pointed oxeas, dimensions: 168–303.9–458 (n = 50) × 3.2–9.1– 15 µm (n = 50).

Distribution

Sea of Japan (near Nagasaki), Sea of Okhotsk (Aniva Bay), White and Norwegian seas, Barents Sea (between Spitsbergen and Bear Island).

Remarks

Seven specimens collected south of Spitsbergen found at depths of 141–142 m were examined. The difference between them and previously described representatives of these species was in presence of poorly pronounced tyles on the shafts of some oxeas. However, such minor aberrations may hardly be considered as a sufficient reason for allocation of a new species.

Figures

Figure 7. S. carnosus, (a) habitus; (b, c) longitudinal sections through the surface (b) and inner part (c) of the sponge; (d–e) SEM images of spicules; (d) large tylostyle, (d1) basal end of large tylostyle; (e) small subtylostyle.