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Type: Article
Published: 2019-08-23
Page range: 461–508
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Demosponges from the sublittoral and shallow-circalittoral (<24m depth) Antarctic Peninsula with a description of four new species and notes on
in situ identification characteristics

National Museums Northern Ireland, 153 Bangor Road, Cultra, Holywood, Co. Down, BT18 0EU, UK Queen’s University Marine Laboratory, 2–13 The Strand, Portaferry, BT22 1PF, UK Huntsman Marine Science Centre, 1 Lower Campus Road, St Andrews, New Brunswick, E5B 2L7, Canada University of New Brunswick, 100 Tucker Park Road, PO Box 5050, Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada, E2L 4L5
Ulster Wildlife, McClelland House, 10 Heron Road, Co Down, Northern Ireland, BT3 9LE, UK
School of Earth Sciences, University of Bristol, Wills Memorial Building, Queen’s Road, Bristol, BS8 1RJ, UK
Porifera Antarctic Peninsula SCUBA taxonomy In situ

Abstract

Specimens were collected by SCUBA diving from 22 sites along the Antarctic Peninsula, spanning latitudes from Diomedea Island (62°12.185’S) to Jenny Island (67°43.325’S). The aims of the survey were to record the sponge biodiversity of the sublittoral and shallow-circalittoral and to provide information on in situ identification features. In total 24 sponge species were recorded, ranging from 0 to 12 species per site. The most widespread species were Dendrilla antarctica (10 sites), Sphaerotylus antarcticus (11 sites); and Mycale (Oxymycale) acerata (13 sites). Four species new to science were discovered and are described here: Megaciella cardenasi sp. nov., Crella (Crella) hennequinae sp. nov., Hymedesmia (Hymedesmia) noramaloneae sp. nov., Clathria (Clathria) priestleyae sp. nov. Suberites topsenti (Burton, 1929) is reassigned to Hemimycale topsenti (Burton, 1929) comb. nov. General habitat notes are provided for the survey sites, many of which were previously unsurveyed.

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