Axinella balinensis, Alvarez, Belinda, De Voogd, Nicole J. & Soest, Van, 2016

Alvarez, Belinda, De Voogd, Nicole J. & Soest, Van, 2016, Sponges of the family Axinellidae (Porifera: Demospongiae) in Indonesia, Zootaxa 4137 (4), pp. 451-477 : 455

publication ID	https://doi.org/ 10.11646/zootaxa.4137.4.1
publication LSID	lsid:zoobank.org:pub:55CA5F98-BBD2-41DC-974B-B904DE47B5BC
DOI	https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.5621778
persistent identifier	https://treatment.plazi.org/id/4B1187F3-FFE2-F727-FF70-C70ABCD5C4F0
treatment provided by	Plazi
scientific name	Axinella balinensis
status	sp. nov.

Treatment

Axinella balinensis sp. nov

( Fig. 2 View FIGURE 2 , 3)

Material examined. HOLOTYPE.— RMNH POR. 3607, Indonesia, Bali, E-side Nusa Dua, off Club Med Hotel, N of channel, 8.785°S 115.2317°E, 15 m depth, 4 April 2001, #Bal12/NV/ 040401 /055, coll. N.J. de Voogd. PARATYPE.— RMNH POR. 3611, Indonesia, Bali, Tanjung Benoa, Loloan Benoa, Indonesia, 8.7627°S, 115.2336°E, 25 m depth, 7 April 2001, #Bal17/NV/ 070401 /086, coll. N.J. de Voogd.

Description. Shape (Fig.3A). Bushy to flabelliform, 12 cm high by 15 cm wide, on short peduncle; with multiple branches, fused at base.

Colour. Beige, orange.

Oscula. Inconspicuous, irregularly distributed, with raised or flushed transparent rims, less than 1 cm.

Surface. Pierced by subectosomal spicules, covered with flat and broad projections, in rows, longitudinally oriented.

Skeleton (Fig.3B–C). Without ectosome specialisation. Choanosomal skeleton plumose and axially compressed. Extra-axial skeleton mostly halichondroid, but with longitudinal plumose-halichondroid axes diverging towards periphery.

Spicules (Fig.3D, Table 2 View TABLE 2 ). Mixture of oxeas, thick and thin, styles, thick and thin anisoxeas in a large size range, 138.4–708.3 x 5.9–22.2 µm.

Remarks. The material examined is assigned to Axinella provisionally for several reasons. The skeleton is axially compressed from which plumose tracts diverge in confusion towards surface. The spicule composition consists of oxeas and styles. It shares characteristics of the external shape, surface, and skeleton with dictyonellid genera such as Acanthella , but it lacks the typical strongyles that form part of the skeleton of that genus; or Phakettia , where the skeleton is usually formed by large styles; or Dictyonella , where there are no oxeas in the spicule complement and species are generally lobate. The skeleton and surface characteristics also resemble the doubtful axinellid genus Reniochalina, ( Alvarez & Hooper 2009) , but no sign of spination in the megascleres was found. The material might also belong to a new genus not related to Axinellidae . Thus additional, independent evidence from genetic studies is necessary to conclude with reliability the generic position of this species.

Distribution. Known only from the type locality ( Fig. 2 View FIGURE 2 ). Found between 15–25 m depth.

Etymology. Named after the type locality.

Specimen	Locality	Oxeas	Style
RMNH POR.3607 (holotype)	Bali	138.4–664.3µm (412.1±139.3) x 7.8–22.2µm (15.5±4)	236.9–457.9µm (345±56.9) x5.9–17.5µm (13±2.6)
RMNH POR. 3611	Bali	273.1–708.3µm (479.3±132.9) x 9.6–21.3µm (16.5±2.5)	289.7–580.5µm (415.6±89.6) x6.8–18.9µm (13.3±2.9)