Nubes Reiswig, Dohrmann & Kelly, 2021

Reiswig, Henry M., Dohrmann, Martin, Kelly, Michelle, Mills, Sadie, Schupp, Peter J. & Woerheide, Gert, 2021, Rossellid glass sponges (Porifera, Hexactinellida) from New Zealand waters, with description of one new genus and six new species, ZooKeys 1060, pp. 33-84 : 33

Nubes Reiswig, Dohrmann & Kelly gen. nov.

Diagnosis.

Rossellinae with basiphytous, saccular, thick-walled body, unstalked or with a short stalk. Hypodermalia are large, raised, paratropal or orthotropal pentactins with strongly curved or straight tangential rays, smooth except for rough tips, forming a cloud or veil around the thick-walled body. Prostal diactins are marginalia only. Choanosomal spicules are diactins and sometimes large hexactins with curved rays, smooth except for rough tips. Dermalia are mainly stauractins and pentactins. Atrialia are mainly hexactins and sometimes pentactins. Microscleres are oxyhexasters, hemioxyhexasters, and anisodiscohexasters.

Etymology.

Named for the cloud of large hypodermal pentactins that veils the body of these sponges (nubes, cloud; Latin).

Type species.

Nubes tubulata sp. nov.

Remarks.

This new genus diagnosis differs from those of most other anisodiscohexaster-bearing genera or subgenera in the following ways: from Anoxycalyx Kirkpatrick, 1907 in not having anchorate hypodermalia, and having pleural hypodermalia raised, having marginalia; in not including pappocomes and discohexasters other than anisodiscohexasters (strobiloidal discohexasters) as microscleres. It differs from that of Crateromorpha (Crateromorpha) Gray in Carter, 1872 in body form, having marginal diactins, and having main atrialia as hexactins. It differs from that of Rossella Carter, 1872 in having most atrialia as hexactins instead of stauractins, and no calycocomes. However, it does not differ from the present diagnosis of Vazella Gray, 1870 ( Tabachnick 2002) in any way, but below we offer a modified diagnosis of that genus to separate the two groups.