Sponges of the Guyana Shelf Van, Rob W. M. Zootaxa 2017 1 1 225 [151,561,293,319] Demospongiae Raspailiidae Raspailia Animalia Poecilosclerida 60 61 Porifera species johnhooperi sp. nov. Raspailia     Materialexamined. Holotype RMNHPor. 9809, Suriname, ‘Luymes’ GuyanaShelf Expedition, station 5, 6.6°N 53.55°W, depth  44 m, trawl, bottom calcareous sand,  24 August 1970.   Paratype RMNH. Por. 9313, (juvenile? specimen), Suriname, ‘O.C.P.S. Luymes’ GuyanaShelf Expedition, station N79, 6.2217°N 55.917°W, depth  27 m, Van Veengrab, on dead oyster,  9 April 1969.   Description.Arborescent-palmate sponge ( Fig. 39a), with conulose-spined surface, shiny smooth between conules. Size 13.5 x 10cm. Color in alcohol beige. Branches flattened, ending pointedly, outline irregular. Short, double stalk (presumably the single palmate upper part is the result of two anastomosed individuals) of 3 cmlong and 1.5 cmdiameter, with more or less smooth surface. Consistency fleshy, compressible. A second smaller (juvenile?) specimen ( Fig. 39a1) was detected growing on a dead oyster. This is a stalkless five-branched individual, branches 8–10 mmlong, 3 mmin diameter, with strongly hispid surface, looking rather different from the above described large specimen but with same structure and spiculation.  Skeleton.Typically raspailiid, with condensed axial reticulation of strongyles and extra-axial long styles surrounded by bouquets of thin styles ( Fig. 39b). Echinating acanthostyles are sparingly present in the axial skeleton.  Spicules.( Figs 39c–g) Long styles, strongyles, thin styles, acanthostyles. Long styles ( Figs 39c,c1), smooth, curved, often broken in the slides (n=5), 2100–3400 x 24–33µm. Strongyles ( Figs 39d,d1), smooth, curved, usually equidiametrical, but occasionally slightly anisodiametrical ( Figs 39e,e1), in a large size range, but not readily divisible in size categories, 384– 609–960 x 13– 16.9–21 µm. Thin styles ( Figs 39f,f1) of the ectosomal bouquets, curved, often ending bluntly, in a large size range, but not divisible in size categories, 348– 667– 1210 x 2– 5.5–14 µm. Acanthostyles ( Fig. 39g), with few, but large spines, 93– 127–156 x 4.5– 9.1–12 µm   Distribution and ecology. GuyanaShelf, sandy bottom at 27– 44 m.   Etymology.Named after Professor John N.A. Hooper, QueenslandMuseum, Australia, to acknowledge his expert monographic studies on Raspailiidae, and his admirable efforts for sponge taxonomy in general.   Remarks.The Central WesternAtlantic so far is poor in  Raspailiarecords ( Van Soest et al.2016). Of the subgenus  Raspailiaonly three species have been reported,  R. (R.) acanthifera( George & Wilson, 1919)(originally  Axinella acanthifera) from Beaufort, North Carolina,  R. (R.) muricyanaMoraes, 2011from Fernando do Noronha, and  R. (R.) tenuis Ridley & Dendy, 1886from NE Brazil(and also tentatively reported from Barbadosby Van Soest & Stentoft 1988). None of these sponges have the erect palmate habitus with conulose-spiny surface of our new species and none of them have strongyles as main spicules of the axial skeleton; shape of the body is squatlylaminate (  acanthiferaand  muricyana) or consist of stringy thin branches (  tenuis) and all have styles instead of strongyles in the axial skeleton. Like  R. (R.) tenuis, the new species has rare acanthostyles, whereas the other two have them more common. Strongylote spicules as axial spiculation are uncommon, but are occasionally reported in  Raspailiaspecies, e.g. in the Australian  Raspailia (Raspailia) vestigifera Dendy, 1896(cf. Hooper 1991). 1424726442 1970-08-24 RMNH Suriname 44 6.6 Material 5582 -53.55 61 62 1 holotype 1424726437 1969-04-09 RMNH Van Veen Suriname 27 6.2217 Suriname 55 -55.917 61 62 1 paratype