Lycopodina infundibulum, (LEVINSEN, 1887)

Hestetun, Jon Thomassen, Tompkins-Macdonald, Gabrielle & Rapp, Hans Tore, 2017, A review of carnivorous sponges (Porifera: Cladorhizidae) from the Boreal North Atlantic and Arctic, Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 181, pp. 1-69 : 44-45

LYCOPODINA INFUNDIBULUM ( LEVINSEN, 1887)

( FIG. 35; TABLE 5)

Original description: Esperella infundibulum Levinsen, 1887: 366 .

Synonyms and citations: Esperia cupressiformis in part ( Carter, 1874: 215); E. bihamatifera in part ( Hansen, 1885: 15); Asbestopluma infundibulum ( Lundbeck, 1905: 68; Hentschel, 1929: 875, 935; Koltun, 1959: 77; Boury-Esnault et al., 1994: 102; Desbruyères et al., 2001: 1334; Hestetun et al., 2015: 1318). Lycopodina infundibulum ( van Soest, 2016) .

Material examined: The Danish Ingolf Expedition, DIAPISUB, R/V ‘G.O. Sars’ 2008–155 (see Supporting information).

Diagnosis: Small, pedunculate, cup-shaped greyish w h i t e Ly c o p o d i n a w i t h m a i n m y c a l o s t y l e s t o subtylostyles, smaller subtylostyles and thin, tortuous subtylostyles protruding from sponge surface. Microscleres arcuate to palmate anisochelae 10–25 µm and forceps spicules 42–82 µm.

Description: Thin, cup-shaped, apically oriented main body supported by a thin peduncle. Body diameter is in the range of 3–8 mm with approximately equal height. Body often flattened upon collection. Peduncle less than 0.5 mm in diameter, up to 40 mm long and attached to hard substrate with small basal plate. Peduncle usually partly covered in sediment giving it a light brown colour, while upper peduncle and body is whitish light grey. The surface of the body is slightly hispid ( Fig. 35A, B).

Skeleton : Peduncle skeleton composed of closely packed bundles of the main mycalostyles/subtylostyles; mostly fine, straight but become slightly shorter and more curving towards the basal plate. Spicule bundles in the upper peduncle gradually fan out into the skeleton of the main body. The thin, tapering subtylostyles are found projecting from the main body giving it its hispid appearance, while shorter subtylostyles are found at the fold of the upper body margin.