Racodiscula sceptrellifera var. siliquariae Annandale, 1911

Van Soest, Rob W. M., 2024, Correcting sponge names: nomenclatural update of lower taxa level Porifera, Zootaxa 5398 (1), pp. 1-122 : 59-60

Racodiscula sceptrellifera var. siliquariae Annandale, 1911

( Fig. 6H )

Racodiscula sceptrellifera var. siliquariae Annandale, 1911b: 52 , pl. IX figs. 16–18; Pattanayak 2009: 12, pl. VI fig. E.

The variety was described by Annandale from materials collected by the trawler ‘Golden Crown’ in the Bay of Bengal, from off Gopalpur (Ganjam district) to off Vizagapatam, N of Chennai, East India, approximate coordinates 19.37°–17.68° / 84.99°– 83.33°E, depth 27– 54 m. The dried type specimen growing on a vermetid shell of the genus Spiroglyphus is kept in the collections of the Zoological Survey of India, ZSI, Kolkata, ZEV4652 ( Pattanayak 2009: 12). The specimen was severely damaged during collection. What was left resembled the variety spiroglyphi (see below) although most of the upper surface and the microscleres were scraped-off. Nevertheless, there were a few discotriaenes, monaxones and amphiasters as loose spicules in the desma skeleton. Annandale described likely asexual buds nested among the desmas.

The typical variety was described by Carter (1881: 372 from the Gulf of Mannaar, approximate coordinates 9.13°N 79.14°E, type material from the Liverpool Museum was destroyed during WWII, but there are slides in the Natural History Museum labeled with the name Discodermia sceptrellifera ). The basis for distinguishing the variety as a separate taxon is largely the occurrence on a vermetid host species of the genus Siliquaria , different from the next variety discussed, R.s. var. spiroglyphi , which appears better preserved. I propose to merge the present variety with the next one, to be named Racodiscula spiroglyphi Annandale, 1911b (see below), based on page priority, being the first mentioned variety.

Figures

FIGURE 6. A. Geodia variospiculosa var. aapta Lebwohl, 1914: pl. II figs. 63–77, B. Geodia variospiculosa var. clavigera Thiele, 1898: pl. VI fig. 7b, C–D. Geodia variospiculosa var. intermedia Von Lendenfeld, 1910: pl. 17 figs. 39–40, E. Geodia variospiculosa var. micraster Von Lendenfeld, 1910: pl. 17 fig. 41, F–G. Poecillastra compressa var. parvistellata Topsent, 1913: pl. IV figs. 1–2, H. Racodiscula sceptrellifera var. siliquariae; Pattanayak 2009: pl. VI fig. E, I. Racodiscula sceptrellifera var. spiroglyphi; Pattanayak, 2009: pl. VI fig. F, J. Racodiscula sceptrellifera var. spiroglyphi Annandale, 1911b: pl. IX figs. 1–15, K. Sidonops alba var. minor Hentschel, 1912: pl. 17 fig. 5, L. Stelletta aurora var. arenosa Hentschel, 1909: fig. 7, M. Stelletta validissima f. orthotriaena Koltun, 1966: pl. VII fig. 1, N. Thenea grayi var. lateralis Thiele, 1898: pl. V fig. 4, O–P. Theonella swinhoei var. verrucosa Wilson, 1925, O. habitus pl. 43 fig. 1, P. Spicules pl. 49 fig. 10.