Polymastia viridis, Kim & Sim, 2021

Kim, Young A & Sim, Chung Ja, 2021, Ten new species of families Suberitidae and Polymastiidae (Demospongia: Heteroscleromorpha) from Korea, Journal of Species Research 10 (2), pp. 168-183 : 178

9. Polymastia viridis n. sp. ( Fig. 11 )

ḏșųāḁḍ(ṳḋ)

Type specimen. Holotype (NIBRIV0000881730), Korea: Sasudo, Chuja-myeon, Jeju-si , Jeju-do, 2 Jun 2013, by SCUBA, depth 30-35 m, deposited in NIBR.

Description. Hemispherical cushion shape sponge, size up to 6.5 × 4.5 × 3 cm. Surface with numerous tubercula papillae. Ectosome, 2-3 mm thick. Oscules, 0.5-1 mm in diameter are barely visible at the end of papillae. Color in life greenish yellow. Texture hard.

Skeleton: Ectosomal skeleton consists of small tylostyles on the sponge surface with mixture of large and small tylostyles pointing outward. Choanosomal skeleton densely packed with large tylostyles. Spicules. Large tylostyles, 700-950 × 10-15 μm, medium tylostyles, 350- 560 × 10-15 μm and small tylostyles, 170-245 × 5-7 μm.

Etymology. This species name, viridis, is named after the sponge green color in life.

Remarks. This new species is similar to P. sasuensis , but differs in surface papillaes. This species has large tube-like papillae, but P. sasuensis has numerous small papillae. This species is similar to P. offinis Thiele in size of spicules, but differs in papillae shape. Polymastia offinis has conical shape of papillae, but papillae of this species are large tubercular shape.

Figures

Fig. 11. Polymastia viridis n. sp. A, external morphology; B, spicules; C, D, brush-like spicules at the ectodome; E, head of tylostyles; F, sharp end of spicules. Scale bars:A=1 cm, B=50μm, C-F=25 μm.