Penares deformis sp. nov.

(Fig. 24 –26; Table 8)

Material examined. Holotype — NIWA 52648, NIWA Stn TAN0803/33, Macquarie Ridge, 50.091° S, 163.482° E, 1077–1408 m, 1 Apr 2008.

Type locality. Macquarie Ridge, New Zealand .

Distribution. Only known from type locality, Macquarie Ridge, New Zealand; 1077–1408 m (Figure 26).

Description. Morphology of the holotype is a small, thinly encrusting sponge growing around the dead branches of a coral (Figure 24A); 30 mm long × 25 mm wide × 12 mm high. Texture is firm, slightly compressible. Surface is hispid and scratchy to the touch. Singular, uniporal openings, around 1.3 mm in diameter are very sparsely scattered over the surface of the sponge (Figure 24B). Colour in ethanol is medium brown, interior is slightly darker.

Skeleton. Cortical skeleton is distinct from the choanosome and consists of a densely packed layer of disorganised microxeas. Triaenes are arranged with their cladome at the surface of the sponge (Figure 24C & D). Choanosomal skeleton is extremely densely packed with oxyasters. Oxeas are scattered through the choanosome with no distinct arrangement (Figure 24E).

Spicules (Figure 25; Table 8). Megascleres —stronglyoxeas (Figure 25A & B) are small and relatively slender; 1094 (656–1498) × 29 (21–40) µm (n = 20). Very short-shafted triaenes are a mixture of dichotriaenes (Figure 25C), plagiotriaenes (Figure 25D), triaenes with both single and bifurcate clads (Figure 25E), and deformed triaenes (Figure 25F). Triaenes have a cladome that is much wider than the rhabdome length; 332 (177–453) µm long × 691 (139–995) µm wide (n = 22).

Microscleres —microxeas (Figure 25H) are slightly curved with sharply pointed tips; 128 (92–144) × 8 (7–10) µm (n = 20). Microrhabds (Figure 25I) are slightly curved with broadly rounded tips, and usually slightly centro- tylote. Microrhabds are typically shorter than microxeas but there is some size overlap; 62 (32–108) × 7 (5–9) µm (n = 20). Oxyasters (Figure 25G) are large with a varying number of rays that are faintly acanthose, ranging from plesiasters with few rays to oxyasters. Rays appear to be smooth under light microscopy (400×); 40 (22–78) µm in diameter (n = 20).