Grantia capillosa var. longipilis sensu Breitfuss, 1896

Van Soest, Rob W. M., 2024, Correcting sponge names: nomenclatural update of lower taxa level Porifera, Zootaxa 5398 (1), pp. 1-122 : 93-94

Grantia capillosa var. longipilis sensu Breitfuss, 1896

Grantia capillosa var. longipilis sensu Breitfuss 1896: 434 (no illustration); Breitfuss 1898: 174.

Not: Sycandra capillosa var. longipilis Haeckel, 1872: 318 .

The variety was decribed by Breitfuss from Ternate, Indonesia, approximate coordinates 0.78°N 127.4°E, depth not given (specimen presumed to be kept in SMF, but so far not identified, not listed in Barnich & Janussen 2006). Breitfuss’ description is meagre and probably incomplete. He stated that the shape of the spicules of his specimens was similar to Haeckel’s interpretation of Ute capillosa Schmidt (1862: 17 , pl.1 fig. 6 from Sebenico (= Sibenik, Croatia), Adriatic, approximate coordinates, 43.78°N 15.84°E, type material BMNH 1867.7.26.46, fide Desqueyroux-Faúndez & Stone 1992: 24), especially that of his (Haeckel’s) variety longipilis because of the dense surface spination caused by large diactines. Breitfuss’ specimens from Ternate were, however, twice as long (4–5 cm), and wide (1.2–1.7 cm, with a correspondingly wide spongocoel) as Schmidt’s Adriatic specimens of the typical variety. Later, typical variety specimens were described from the North Atlantic and Arctic (e.g. Breitfuss 1898: 21; Lundbeck 1909: 460; Rapp 2015: 1425, figs. 33a–c, 34), and also listed as occurring in the Kerguelen Islands ( Studer 1889).

Van Soest & De Voogd (2015: 88) assumed that the Breitfuss material was not conspecific with the typical variety material from the Adriatic, although no precise affiliation for it is evident because of its poor description and lack of images. I propose to acknowledge this opinion by giving Breitfuss’ Ternate material a new name, Grantia breitfussi nom.nov.