Lissodendoryx (Ectyodoryx) collinsi, Goodwin & Brickle, 2012

Goodwin, Claire & Brickle, Paul, 2012, Sponge biodiversity of South Georgia island with descriptions of fifteen new species, Zootaxa 3542, pp. 1-48 : 16-17

Lissodendoryx (Ectyodoryx) collinsi sp. nov.

( Figure 9)

Type material: Holotype: BELUM Mc 7676. Sample in 95% ethanol, tissue section and spicule preparation on slides; Green Island , Stromness, Site 1, South Georgia (54°09.448’S, 36° 39.752’W); depth 17.4m; collected by C. Goodwin, P. Brickle and S. Cartwright, 27 th November 2010.

Paratype: BELUM Mc 7681. Sample in 95% ethanol, tissue section and spicule preparation on slides; Green Island , Stromness, Site 1, South Georgia (54°09.448’S, 36° 39.752’W); depth 17.4m; collected by C. Goodwin, P. Brickle and S. Cartwright, 27 th November 2010 .

Etymology: Named after Dr Martin Collins, current South Georgia Chief Executive Officer and Director of Fisheries, and member of the Shallow Marine Surveys Group, who generously provided accommodation to researchers pre- and post survey.

External morphology: In situ appearance: Massively encrusting peach sponge with irregular lobed surface. Texture of sponge surface smooth ( Fig. 9a).

Preserved appearance: White sponge, firm but compressible. Smooth ectosomal layer.

Skeleton: The choanosomal skeleton is formed of a loose, confused, reticulation of columns of styles echinated by acanthostyles. Ascending columns up to 15 spicules thick joined by bundles of 1–3 spicules. Columns anastomise frequently. The ectosomal skeleton consists of brushes of tornotes ( Fig. 9b).

Spicules: Measurements from Mc7676.

Choanosomal styles: 301(342)396 by 9.1 (12.3) 15.2µm. Smooth styles which come to an abrupt point ( Fig. 9c).

Echinating acanthostyles: 95(121)178 by 3.8(7.3)13.9µm. Parallel sided then coming to an abrupt point. Entirely spined with small, neat conical spines ( Fig. 9d).

Ectosomal tornotes: 216(256)295 by 5.4 (7.8)10.9µm ( Fig. 9e, f).

Microscleres: absent.

Remarks: These specimens have been assigned to the genus Lissodendoryx on the basis of the presence of a choanosomal skeleton of styles and acanthostyles and the presence of ectosomal tornotes. The presence of echinating acanthostyles in the skeletal tracts assigns this to the subgenus Lissodendoryx (Ectyodoryx) ( van Soest 2002a) . All other Antarctic or South Atlantic species have chelae or sigma microscleres ( Table 4).