Shallow-water Demospongiae (Porifera) from Sodwana Bay, iSimangaliso Wetland Park, South Africa Samaai, Toufiek Pillay, Ruwen Janson, Liesl Zootaxa 2019 2019-04-23 4587 1 1 85 FQ6V Keller, 1889 Keller 1889 [151,567,1300,1326] Demospongiae Darwinellidae Aplysilla Animalia Dendroceratida 73 74 Porifera species lacunosa  ( Fig. 34A–C)   Material examined.  SAMC–A24797(cross-reference TS 927 & Saf 03-sod111), Ribbonreef, Sodwana Bay( 27.4880°S, 32.6977°E), South Africa, 0  3 November 2007, collected by T. Samaai, depth   20 m.   Description.Thinly encrusting sponge, 10 × 80 × 60 mmdiameter ( Fig. 34A). Surface smooth but conulose, with fibres protruding through the surface giving the sponge a prickly appearance. Oscules evenly distributed over the surface of the sponge, 1 mmin diameter. Texture soft, compressible not easily torn. Colour in life bright-yellow, turns purple out of water; in preservative dark purple-black.  Skeleton( Fig. 34B, C). Choanosomal skeleton dendritic, made up of fibres 100 µmwide, with a distinct medulla and only slightly narrower apically. Fibres may branch, but are usually simple and do not coalesce to form a network.  Substratum, depth range and ecology.This sponge is found on a rocky ledge at a depth of  20 m.  Geographic distribution.WIO   Remarks.No species of  Aplysillahas been described from the WIO, except  A. lacunosafrom the red sea and  A.cf. rosearecorded from South Africa. Bergquist and Warne (1980) and Bergquist and Cook (2002)indicated that colour is a stable specific character in  Aplysillaand that variation in colour within a species does not occur ( Samaai & Gibbons 2005). The position adopted here follows that of Bergquist and Cook (2002), is that colour is consistent and that  A. lacunosais a valid species. The sponge described here agrees well with the description of  P. lacunosaprovided by Keller (1889)from the Red Sea.  Aplysilla lacunosais thinly encrusting, surface conulose and slimy, being intensely butter yellow in situ.The conuli are pointed elevations on the surface 3–4 mmhigh. This is similar to the sponge described here. Classifying this sponge fully as  A. lacunosais difficult due to its distribution in South Africa. No other  Aplysillaspecies are described here or in the WIO. Due to its similarity to  A. lacunosa,this sponge is regarded as  A.cf. lacunosa .   Key diagnostic characters. appearance. 2236964311 2007-11-03 SAMC-A T. Samaai South Africa 20 -27.488 Ribbon 6 32.6977 Sodwana Bay 73 74 SAMC-A24797 20