Tedania (Tedaniopsis) oxeata Topsent, 1916

Schejter, Laura, Cristobo, Javier & Ríos, Pilar, 2024, New records of demosponges (Porifera) from the South Orkney Islands (Antarctica) with a checklist for the region, Zootaxa 5403 (4), pp. 401-430 : 418

Tedania (Tedaniopsis) oxeata Topsent, 1916

( Figure 8g –j )

Restricted synonymy: Tedania oxeata Topsent, 1916 .

Material examined: 2 specimens collected at station 4 ( SOI; 60°55' S, 44°04'W; 256 m; 2/3/2014; MACN-In 44400; IEO-CSIC Col.) .

Description: massive sponge, cavernous, soft, porous, beige in colour. Ectosome only evident in some parts of the specimens as a thin layer composed of a palisade of tornotes. Spicules are oxeas 480–720 µm by 20–35 µm, tornotes 480–550 µm by 10–20 µm and two categories of raphides 400–500 µm and 75–85 µm ( Figure 8 g-j).

Remarks: This is an unusual Tedania species, having oxeas as the main megascleres, instead of styles. It has been recorded from several Antarctic regions (e.g. Koltun 1964; Burton 1929, 1932; Desqueyroux 1975; Ríos 2006), but this finding represents the first record for the SOI.

Figures

FIGURE 8. Tedania species. a. T. (T.) tantula, general morphology, scale: 2,5 cm; b–e. T. massa. b. general morphology, scale: 3,5 cm; c. style, scale: 160 µm; d. tornote, scale: 85 µm; e. onichaete I, scale: 130 µm; f. T. (T.) charcoti, general morphology, scale: 2 cm; g–j. T. oxeata, g. general morphology, scale: 3,5 cm; h. oxea, scale: 200 µm; i. tornote, scale: 150 µm; j. raphides, scale: 150 µm.