New shallow-water sponges (Porifera) from the Galápagos Islands Author Sim-Smith, Carina Author Hickman, Cleveland 0000-0002-2914-4687 hickman.c@rockbridge.net Author Kelly, Michelle 0000-0001-9673-0056 elly@niwa.co.nz text Zootaxa 2021 2021-08-02 5012 1 1 71 http://dx.doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5012.1.1 journal article 10.11646/zootaxa.5012.1.1 1175-5326 5158062 56C6852D-AAE0-4B6B-AB57-919CD62DAEC1 Family Stelligeridae Von Lendenfeld, 1898 Genus Higginsia Higgin, 1877 Diagnosis. Growth forms erect, lamellate, massive, vasiform or lobate; surface conulose, papillose, often silt covered or membraneous. Choanosomal skeleton predominantly with an elaborate system of bundles of megascleres, although skeletal structure ranges from halichondroid with a partially compressed, reticulate axis, and an irregularly plumo-reticulate extra-axial region ( Higginsia ), a compressed axis and a radial, non-plumose extra-axial region ( Dendropsis ), to a lax plumose or plumo-reticulate structure, without axial compression or regional differentiation of the skeleton ( Desmoxya ); spongin fibres usually poorly developed although heavy collagen forms the mesohyl, usually with numerous megascleres and microscleres scattered between main skeletal tracts; all skeletal tracts cored by robust oxeas and/or styles, or sometimes modified further to strongylote megascleres with bifurcated points. Ectosome with a protruding extra-axial skeleton composed of longer oxeas and/or styles of 1–3 sizes. Microscleres spined, centrangulate curved or straight microxeas, and sometimes also raphides occurring singly or in bundles (trichodragmata) (from Hooper 2002a ).