Psammocinia hwasunensis, Lee & Yoo & Kim, 2017

Lee, Sue Yeon, Yoo, Jung Sun & Kim, Seung Tae, 2017, New species in two genera, Psammocinia and Ircinia (Demospongiae: Dictyoceratida: Irciniidae), from Korea, Journal of Species Research 6, pp. 94-109 : 95

3. Psammocinia hwasunensis n. sp. ( Fig. 3)

Type specimen. Holotype (NIBRIV0000801022), Korea: Hwasun harbor, Andeok-myeon, Seogwipo-si , Jeju-do, 30 Sep 2014, Kim HS, by SCUBA, depth 25-30 m, deposited in the NIBR.

Description. Thickly encrusting, and massive sponge with several lobate, size up to 6 × 5 × 3 cm in wide. Smooth surface covered with round conules and sand crust, 0.2-0.7 mm in thick. Oscules, 0.1-0.3 mm in diameter, opened end of lobate. Color, dark grey in life change to black in alcohol, dirty beige inside. Texture, firm and compressible.

Skeleton: Irregular arrangement. Primary fibres, 100- 200-300 μm in diameter, cored with small sand particles and spicules, weak fascicles ( Fig. 3F). Secondary fibres rarely cored with debris. Secondary fibres appeared as two types, branch type, 50-150-200 μm in diameter, and web type, 600-700 μm wide. Filaments, 2-5 μm in diameter, with terminal knobs, 10-15 μm in diameter.

Etymology. This species is named after the type locality Hwasun, Jejudo Island.

Remark. New species is similar to Psammocinia mosulpia in skeletal structure. Sand crust of this new species is much thicker than P. mosulpia ’s. Weak fascicles of primary fibres cored with sand and spicules ( Fig. 3F).