Hymeniacidon kerguelensis var. capensis Hentschel, 1914

Van Soest, Rob W. M., 2024, Correcting sponge names: nomenclatural update of lower taxa level Porifera, Zootaxa 5398 (1), pp. 1-122 : 81-82

Hymeniacidon kerguelensis var. capensis Hentschel, 1914

( Fig. 8N )

Hymeniacidon kerguelensis var. capensis Hentschel, 1914: 124 , pl. VIII fig. 8.

The variety was described by Hentschel from Simon’s Bay, Cape Town, approximate coordinates 34.1833°S 18.433°E, depth not given (syntype ZMB 4801). It is distinguished from the typical variety, also described by Hentschel (1914: 123, pl. VIII fig. 7, from shallow water in the Observatory Bay, Kerguelen Islands, approximate coordinates 49.4167°S 69.9°E, holotype ZMB 4800), by being thinner (2 mm vs 25 mm) and having indistinct skeletal tracts whereas the typical variety has these more clearly developed and consolidated by some spongin. Other characters, in particular the spicules, are similar in both. Hymeniacidon Bowerbank, 1866 species generally do not appear to have highly differentiated morphological characters, so these small differences of the two varieties in combination with 4500 km distance between Kerguelen and Cape Town may indicate they could be genetically distinct.Accordingly, I propose to distinguish them as subspecies, H. k. subsp. kerguelensis and H. k. subsp. capensis , both authored by Hentschel 1914.

Other Hymeniacidon records from South Africa are H. perlevis ( Montagu, 1814) (also as H. caruncula Bowerbank, 1866 ), reported by Stephens (1915a), Samaai & Gibbons (2005) and Samaai et al. (2022), H. stylifera ( Stephens, 1915a) (as Leucophloeus ), and H. littoralis Samaai & Gibbons, 2005 all have longer and thicker styles and surface papillae.

Figures

FIGURE 8. A. Cliona argus var. laevicollis Thiele, 1898: pl. VIII fig. 15, B. Spirastrella decumbens var. Ridley & Dendy, 1887: pl. XLV fig. 12, C–D. Spirastrella digitata Hentschel, 1909, C. habitus pl. XXII fig. 7, D. spicules text-fig. 18, E. Spirastrella vagabunda var. arabica Topsent, 1893: fig. 1, F. Suberites inconstans var. digitata Dendy, 1887: pl. IX fig. 2, G. Suberites inconstans var. globosa Dendy, 1887: pl. IX fig. 1, H. Suberites inconstans var. maeandrina Dendy, 1887: pl. X fig. 1, I. Hymedesmia unistellata var. aspera Topsent, 1904: pl. XII fig. 7, J. Timea crassa; sensu Lévi, 1952: fig. 10, K. Timea hallezi var. crassa; sensu Lévi, 1952: fig. 9, L. Aaptos niger Hoshino, 1981b: pl. II fig. 5, M. Halichondria bowerbanki var. stellifera Breton, Girard & Lagardère, 1995: fig. 9, N. Hymeniacidon kerguelensis var. capensis Hentschel, 1914: pl. VIII fig. 8, O. Pellina longispicula f. tahanrohensis Czerniavsky, 1880: pl. II (VI) figs. 15b-c, P. Pseudosuberites hyalinus var. compacta Hentschel, 1914: pl. IV fig. 1.