Haliclona ( Reniera ) oceanus, Kim & Kang, 2020

Kim, Hyung June & Kang, Dong Won, 2020, Two New Species of the Genus Haliclona from Korea, Zootaxa 4890 (2), pp. 289-295 : 291

Haliclona ( Reniera) oceanus sp. nov.

( Fig. 2 A–G, Table 2)

Material examined. Holotype. Korea, Jeju-do, Seogqipo-si, Daejeong-eup, Ieodo Ocean Research Station , 25 m depth, June 30, 2017, SCUBA, coll. Sang-Hui Lee, MABIK IV00168257 .

Description. Shape ( Fig. 2A): Thickly encrusting to massive, with slightly elevated oscular rims, 2.5–3 cm in thickness and 8 × 7 cm in width.

Oscula : 0.3–0.7 cm in diameter, scattered on surface.

Colour: Gray in life which gradually changes to dark ivory in alcohol.

Texture: Soft, fragile, and compressible.

Surface: Smooth and even.

Skeleton ( Fig.2 D–G): Ectosomal skeleton, detachable, tangential, unispicular isotropic reticulation of single spicules with spongin. Choanosomal skeleton, isotropic to ladder-like reticulation by unispicular primary lines regularly connected by unispicular secondary lines.

Spicules ( Fig. 2 B–C): Two size categories of oxea, no microscleres. Large oxea 190–230 × 7–15 μm in size. Small oxea 70–100 × 2.5–5 μm in size.

Distribution. Only found in Ieodo Ocean Research Station at depth of 25 m.

Etymology. Named after from the locality, Ieodo Ocean Research Station, Korea.

Remarks. Haliclona ( Reniera) oceanus sp. nov. is similar to H. ( H.) ieoensis Kim et al. 2017 in shape, habitat, growth form, but it differs in color, ectosomal, choanosomal skeleton and spicule size. The ectosomal skeleton of H. ( H.) ieoensis is not specialized. It is reticularly arranged by unispicular oxea. However, ectosomal skeletal structure of H. ( R.) oceanus sp. nov. arranged by unispicular isotropic reticulation of single spicules. The size of the oxeas of H. ( H.) ieoensis is larger than that of H. ( R.) oceanus sp. nov. ( Table 2).

2017.