Review of the sponge genus Penares (Demospongiae, Tetractinellida, Astrophorina) in the New Zealand EEZ, with descriptions of new species Sim-Smith, Carina Kelly, Michelle Zootaxa 2019 2019-07-15 4638 1 1 56 Sim-Smith & Kelly, 2019 Sim-Smith & Kelly 2019 [151,329,1078,1105] Demospongiae Geodiidae Penares Animalia Astrophorida 11 12 Porifera species mollis sp. nov.  Material examined.   Holotype— NIWA  101525, NZOI Stn Z15942, Three Kings Islands, 34.176° S, 172.049° E,  10 m,  24 Feb 2002.   Paratypes— NIWA  101575(0CDN6636-W),  Three Kings Islands, 34.166° S, 172.150° E,  16– 17 m,  16 Apr 1999;  NIWA 62287, 34.418° S, 172.845° E,  18 m,  23 Mar 2007. Other material.   Northland: NIWA 62309, 34.418° S, 172.845° E,  18 m,  23 Mar 2007.  NIWA 62231, 34.402° S, 172.991° E,  18 m,  25 Mar 2007;  NIWA 62409, 35.831° S, 174.497° E,  25 m,  7 Oct 2004.  Type locality.Three Kings Islands, New Zealand.   Distribution.Three Kings Islands and Northland, New Zealand( Figure 9). Found growing on rocky substrate in shallow waters ( 6–28 m).   Description.Morphology is irregularly lobed ( Figure 7A–C). The holotypeis 70 mm× 60 mm× 50 mmhigh. Surface is very smooth, felty to the touch. Interior is fuzzy. Large uniporal oscules, 2–6 mmin diameter, and smaller uniporal pores, 0.5–0.7 mmin diameter, are sparsely scattered over the sponge, more commonly present on the apex of the lobes ( Figure 7C & D). Texture is soft, compressible. Colour in life is grey or black, interior is cream. Colour in ethanol is grey brown, interior is beige.  Skeleton.Cortical skeleton is thin ( 100–200 µm) and consists of a dense layer of disorganised microxeas and microrhabds. Tylasters are scattered throughout the cortex and are more common on the surface of the sponge. Choanosomal skeleton contains a single layer of orthotriaenes that are arranged with their cladome parallel to the cortex/choanosome boundary ( Figure 7E). Bundles of oxeas are loosely radial near the surface of the sponge but become more disorganised towards the centre of the sponge. Tylasters and microxeas are abundant and scattered throughout the choanosome. Microrhabds are more sparsely scattered throughout the choanosome.  Spicules( Figure 8; Table 3). Megascleres—oxeas ( Figure 8A) are small, slender and straight or slightly curved; 837 (573–1282) × 17 (9–28) µm (n = 74). Orthotriaenes ( Figure 8B) are short with a relatively long conical rhab- dome. Clads are slightly backwardly curved, and occasionally bifurcate; 380 (184–615) µm long × 350 (175–579) µm wide (n = 73).  Microscleres—microxeas ( Figure 8D) are relatively stout and often sharply bent rather than gradually curved, very variable in length; 163 (84–356) × 8 (5–13) µm (n = 75). Microrhabds ( Figure 8E) are small are slightly curved with broadly rounded tips; 60 (30–101) × 5 (3–9) µm (n = 75). Tylasters ( Figure 8C) are very small with several slender, spined rays. Spines are concentrated around the ray tips; 11 (8–15) µm in diameter (n = 76).  Etymology.Named after the soft, compressible texture of the sponge ( mollis, soft; Latin).  Remarks. Penares mollis sp. nov.is very similar to P. tylotasterin spicule complement, the most obvious difference being that P. mollis sp. nov.has slender orthotriaenes while P. tylotasterpredominantly has stouter di- chotriaenes. Penares tylotasterdoes have some plagiotriaenes and triaenes with a mixture of single and bifurcate clads, but dichotriaenes are much more common. The oxeas of P. mollis sp. nov.are also considerably smaller (837 (573–1282) µm) than those of P. tylotaster(1212 (978–1404) µm). All other spicule types and sizes are very similar between the two species. The two species also differ in texture— P. tylotasteris firm and rigid, whereas P. mollis sp. nov.is soft and compressible. Apart from P. mollis sp. nov.and P. tylotaster, no other New Zealand Penaresspecies possesses tylasters.   FIGURE 7. Penares mollis sp. nov.: A.Holotype NIWA 101525 in situ; B.Paratype NIWA 101575 fresh specimen; C.Para- type NIWA 62287 preserved in ethanol; D.Oscules and pores of NIWA 101575; E.Section showing the crust of microxeas and microrhabds in the cortex and the position of the orthotriaenes directly below the cortex; F.Close view of a choanosome section showing the abundant tylasters.   FIGURE 8.  Penares mollis  sp. nov., paratype NIWA 101575: A.Oxea; B.Orthotriaene; C.Tylasters; D.Microxeas; E.Microrhabd.   TABLE 3.Spicule dimensions (µm) of  Penares mollis  sp. nov.Dimensions are given as the mean (minimum–maximum) length × mean (minimum–maximum) width (number of spicules measured). OX = oxea; OR= orthotriaene rhabdome, OC = orthotriaene clad; OCC = orthotriaene cladome; MOX = microxea; MR = microrhabd; TYL = tylaster.      Specimen  Megascleres  Microscleres  NIWA 101525 OX: 848 (690–994) × 21 (16–28) (20) MOX: 154 (84–242) × 7 (5–11) (20)  holotype OR: 418 (271–549) (20) MR: 58 (37–97) × 5 (4–7) (20)  OC: 241 (180–295) (20) TYL: 11 (8–15) (20)  OCC: 420 (295–579) (20)  NIWA 101575 OX: 977 (750–1282) × 21 (15–27) (20) MOX: 146 (90–275) × 9 (6–13) (20)  paratype OR: 514 (362–615) (20) MR: 54 (30–85) × 5 (3–7) (20)  OC: 220 (169–264) (20) TYL: 11 (8–14) (20)  OCC: 401 (263–517) (20)  NIWA 62287 OX: 772 (573–929) × 12 (9–15) (20) MOX: 162 (110–287) × 7 (5–9) (20)   paratype OR: 247 (184–323) (21) MR: 69 (36–100) × 5 (3–8) (20)  OC: 140 (96–186) (22) TYL: 11 (8–13) (21)  OCC: 257 (175–332) (20) There are only three other species of  Penaresdescribed from the South Pacific:  P. micraster Lévi, 1993and  P. palmatoclada Lévi, 1993from New Caledonia, and  P. ochracea( Carter, 1886)from Australia. The presence of tylasters in  P. mollis  sp. nov.differentiates it from all three South Pacific species.  Penares palmatocladaand  P. ochracealack euasters, while  P. micrasterpossesses spherasters. 2274830319 2002-02-24 25-10-15 2002-02-24 NIWA, NZOI 10 -34.176 Stn 72 172.049 Three Kings Islands 11 12 1 holotype 2274830377 [376,878,1221,1249] 75-10-15 NIWA 11 12 1 paratype 2274830308 1999-04-16 17 -34.166 Three Kings Islands 72 172.15 11 12 1 paratype 2274830337 [378,1029,1257,1285] 2007-03-23 NIWA 18 -34.418 71 172.845 11 12 NIWA 62287 1 paratype 2274830336 2007-03-23 NIWA 18 -34.418 Northland 71 172.845 11 12 NIWA 62309 1 Northland 2274830356 [719,1354,1293,1321] 2007-03-25 NIWA 18 -34.402 71 172.991 11 12 NIWA 62231 1 Northland 2274830381 2004-10-07 NIWA 25 -35.831 71 174.497 11 12 NIWA 62409 1 Northland