Pseudospongosorites, McCormack & Kelly, 2002

McCormack, Grace P. & Kelly, Michelle, 2002, New indications of the phylogenetic a nity of Spongosorites suberitoides Diaz et al., 1993 (Porifera, Demospongiae) as revealed by 28 S ribosomal DNA, Journal of Natural History 36 (9), pp. 1009-1021 : 1019

Genus Pseudospongosorites n. g.

Diagnosis

Massive amorphous, globular, irregularly spherical Suberitidae ; surface mammillate, anged dorsally, smooth, waxy, corky to the touch, with papillate or raised membranous oscules; texture barely compressible; colour in life greyish green, tan to bright orange; megascleres oxeas in two size classes, slightly curved, occasionally centrotylote; skeleton consists of broad irregular swaths of oxeas, irregularly anastomosing, diverging towards ectosome which is compressed. The ectosomal spiculation is erect to slightly fanned tufts of oxeas. One species occurs in association with a hermit crab and its gastropod shell home. Reproduction by gemmulation.

Holotype

Spongosorites suberitoides Diaz, Pomponi and van Soest, 1993: 299 , gures 28, 34. USNM 32441 , North Carolina.

Etymology

The genus name re ects the taxonomic history of the sponge, and the di culty we have had in the assessment of the phylogenetic a nity of the sponge.

Remarks

We consider that Pseudospongosorite s suberitoides (Diaz et al.) has a greater a nity to suberitid sponges in the Hadromerida than to representatives of the Halichondrida , but that it should remain incertae sedis in the Suberitidae until the phylogeny of Halichondrida with respect to the Hadromerida is fully resolved. Finally, we urge caution in proposing changes to the taxonomic classi cation of the Halichondrida with respect to the Hadromerida (see Chombard and Boury-Esnault, 1999). Considerably more sequence data from 28S rRNA and possibly 18S rRNA genes is required, from a greater range of representative taxa, before a nal picture of the groups as a whole emerge.