Thalysias proxima Duchassaing & Michelotti, 1864: 84 Densa De Laubenfels, 1934 : 14 Wiedenmayer 1977 : 147 Xestospongia Collette & Rützler 1977 : 309 Zea 1987 : 117 Xestospongia proxima Van Soest et al. 1983 : 198 Zea 1987 : 116 Lehnert & Van Soest 1996 : 77 Neopetrosia proxima Santos et al. 2016 : 336 Sponges of the Guyana Shelf Van, Rob W. M. Zootaxa 2017 1 1 225  Santos et al. 2016 : 336 46PZ2 Duchassaing & Michelotti, 1864 Duchassaing & Michelotti 1864 [151,829,869,895] Demospongiae Petrosiidae Neopetrosia Animalia Haplosclerida 34 35 Porifera species proxima    Thalysias proximaDuchassaing & Michelotti, 1864: 84, pl. VIII figs 2–3.    Densaaraminta  De Laubenfels, 1934: 14.     Neofibularia proxima;  Wiedenmayer 1977: 147.     Xestospongiasp.  Collette & Rützler 1977: 309(cf.  Zea 1987: 117).    Xestospongia proxima;  Van Soest et al.1983: 198;  Zea 1987: 116, pl. 9 figs 3–4, text-fig. 34;  Lehnert & Van Soest 1996: 77; Rützler et al.2000: table 2.    Neopetrosia proxima;  Santos et al.2016: 336, figs 4–5.  (Not:  Neopetrosia proximasensu Campos et al.2005: 13, figs 8A–D; Mothes et al.2006: 670 =  Neopetrosia sulcata Santos, Sandes, Cabral & Pinheiro, 2016).    Material examined. RMNHPor. 9878, Suriname, ‘ Snellius O.C.P.S.’ GuyanaShelf Expedition, station G7, 7.28°N 56.7933°W, depth  64 m, bottom sand,  7 May 1966.   Description.Thick repent lobes ( Fig. 21a), with punctate, optically smooth but finely irregular surface. Size about 5 x 2 x 2cm. Oscules flush, scattered over the surface. Color (in alcohol) brown. Consistency hard, incompressible.  Skeleton.At the surface ( Fig. 21b), the skeletal reticulation is thoroughly confused with smaller and larger meshes. The interior ( Fig. 21c) is densely spiculous, with vague thick tracts (up to 200 µm in thickness) forming an irregular alveolar reticulation.  Spicules.Oxeas only. Oxeas ( Fig. 21d), robust, curved, usually with sharp points, 149– 167–182 x 6– 8.4–9.5 µm.   Distribution and ecology. GuyanaShelf, Virgin Islands,  PortoRico, Colombian Caribbean, Jamaica,  Belize, NE Brazil, from shallow-water down to 94 mdepth ( GuyanaShelf 64 m).   Remarks.According to the various descriptions, this seems a variable species. The present material appears quite similar to Zea’s (1987) specimens from the Caribean coast of Colombia. It is clearly dissimilar in shape, skeleton and spicule size to material described from Brazilby Campos et al.(2005)under this name, but this was recently referred to a different species,  Neopetrosia sulcata Santos, Sandes, Cabral & Pinheiro, 2016.  N. proximais nevertheless present in Brazilaccording to Santos et al.2016. There is some resemblance in shape to  Neopetrosia dutchi Van Soest, Meesters & Becking, 2014, which has likewise lobes with flush oscules and a dense skeleton. The spicules of that species are distinctly longer and thicker (165–264 x 11–18µm) and the oscules are up to 1.5 cmdiameter. 1424726443 1966-05-07 RMNH Snellius O. C. P. S. Suriname 64 7.28 Suriname 555 -56.7933 34 35 1