Ascandra mascarenica, Klautau & Lopes & Tavares & Pérez, 2022

Klautau, Michelle, Lopes, Matheus Vieira, Tavares, Gabriela & Pérez, Thierry, 2022, Integrative taxonomy of calcareous sponges (Porifera: Calcarea) from Réunion Island, Indian Ocean, Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 194, pp. 671-725 : 689

ASCANDRA MASCARENICA SP. NOV.

( FIGS 9, 10; TABLE 4)

Z o o b a n k r e g i s t r a t i o n: u r n: l s i d: z o o b a n k. org:act: 774A6B27-B4E3-4A85-830F-4BCFB2869574.

Diagnosis: Ascandra whose cormus is loosely anastomosed and has apical water-collecting tubes. Skeleton composed of diactines with one lanceolated tip, triactines and two size categories of tetractines. Apical actines are conical.

Etymology: The species name refers to ecoregion of the type locality, the Mascarene Islands.

Type locality: Passe de l’Hermitage , La Réunion, Indian Ocean .

Ty p e m a t e r i a l: H o l o t y p e – U F R J P O R 8 9 3 6 (= 171109- PAE2 - TP12 ), Passe de l’Hermitage Reef , La Réunion, Indian Ocean, coll. T. Pérez, 9 November 2017, 18– 20 m depth .

Colour: White in life and light brown to white in ethanol ( Fig. 9A, B).

Morphology and anatomy: Sponge formed by loosely anastomosed tubes ( Fig. 9A, B). Large water-collecting tubes are present at the apical region ( Fig. 9B). Surface hispid ( Fig. 9C). Aquiferous system asconoid. Skeleton composed of tetractines of two sizes, diactines and few triactines ( Fig. 9D). The diactines are perpendicular to the tubes.