Penares turmericolor sp. nov.

(Fig. 20–23; Table 7)

Material examined. Holotype — NIWA 54239, NIWA Stn TAN0905/119, Chatham Rise, 44.158° S, 174.555° W, 487–616 m, 28 Jun 2009. Paratypes — NIWA 76257, NIWA Stn TAN0413/92, Kermadec Ridge, 37.229° S, 177.248° E, 744–770 m, 11 Nov 2004; NIWA 65028, NIWA Stn TAN1007/123, Kermadec Trench, 35.284° S, 178.863° E, 1244–1276 m, 8 Jun 2010. Other material. Norfolk Ridge: NIWA 43893, NZOI Stn Z9025, 31.980° S, 174.265° E, 677–1680 m, date unknown Northland: NIWA 51796, NIWA Stn KAH0204/8, 34.115° S, 174.145° E, 610–640 m, 14 Apr 2002. Kermadec Trench: NIWA 64903, NIWA Stn TAN1007/111, 35.355° S, 178.540° E, 1230–1380 m, 7 Jun 2010; NIWA 64513, NIWA Stn TAN1007/54, 35.354° S, 178.526° E, 1166–1209 m, 2 Jun 2010; NIWA 72902, NIWA Stn TAN1104/123, 35.861° S, 178.448° E, 1251–1478 m, 19 Mar 2011; NIWA 72415, NIWA Stn TAN1104/38, 35.352° S, 178.531° E, 1192–1439 m, 8 Mar 2011; NIWA 72476, NIWA Stn TAN1104/50, 35.349° S, 178.542° E, 1170– 1295 m, 9 Mar 2011; NIWA 92886, NIWA Stn TAN1206/161, 37.195° S, 176.979° E, 696–721 m, 29 Apr 2012; NIWA 82883, NIWA Stn TAN1206/97, 36.455° S, 177.838° E, 920–950 m, 24 Apr 2012; NIWA 82949, NIWA Stn TAN1206/99, 36.445° S, 177.839° E, 850–927 m, 24 Apr 2012; NIWA 86179, NIWA Stn TAN1213/19, 30.177° S, 179.737° E, 387–422 m, 18 Oct 2012; NIWA 126110, NIWA Stn SO254/33ROV08_BIOBOX26, 35.381° S, 178.980° E, 1172 m, 7 Feb 2017.

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FIGURE 20. Penares turmericolor sp. nov.: A. NIWA 126114, in life; B. NIWA126115, in life; C. Holotype NIWA 54239 preserved in ethanol; D. NIWA 53591 preserved in ethanol; E. Oscules (NIWA 53591); F. Pores (NIWA 53591).

Kermadec Trench (collected by GEOMAR ROV Kiel 6000, onboard RV Sonne, ICBM expedition SO254): NIWA 126111, NIWA 126112, NIWA 126113, NIWA 126115 & NIWA 126116, NIWA Stn SO254/33ROV08_BI- OBOX19, 35.382° S, 178.980° E, 1191 m, 7 Feb 2017; NIWA 126114, NIWA Stn SO 254/33ROV08_BIOBOX21, 35.382° S, 178.980° E, 1187 m, 7 Feb 2017 .

Hawkes Bay: NMNZ PO.002258, Stn J 12/07/85, 39.978° S, 178.137° E, 490–508 m, 8 Jul 1987 .

Hikurangi Trench: NIWA 32057, SOP Stn SO 191-3/229, 40.030° S, 178.191° E, 658–660 m, 6 Mar 2007 .

Chatham Rise: NIWA 53591, NIWA Stn TAN0905/97, 44.147° S, 174.690° W, 440–600 m, 26 Jun 2009; NIWA 53776, NIWA Stn TAN0905/103, 44.158° S, 174.555° E, 520–650 m, 26 June 2009; NIWA 54032, NIWA Stn TAN0905/112, 44.143° S, 174.725° E, 760–821 m, 27 Jun 2009; NIWA 54053, NIWA Stn TAN0905/113, 44.150° S, 174.757° E, 519–609 m, 27 Jun 2009; NIWA 106733 & NIWA 106732, NIWA Stn TAN0905/119, 44.158° S, 174.555° W, 487–616 m, 28 Jun 2009; NIWA 50584, SOP Stn TRIP2551 /94, 43.850° S, 174.357° W, 802 m, 9 Dec 2007; NIWA 66051, SOP Stn TRIP3004 /33, 44.463° S, 178.585° W, 710 m, 24 Nov 2009 .

Macquarie Ridge (Australian EEZ): NIWA 52637, NIWA Stn TAN0803/53, 51.047° S, 162.019° E, 398–489 m, 5 Apr 2008; NIWA 40143 (QM G335863), NIWA Stn TAN0803/63, 52.487° S, 160.415° E, 350–560 m, 9 Apr 2008 .

Tasman Sea (International Waters): NIWA 66087, SOP Stn TRIP2894/98, 37.333° S, 168.000° E, 894–977 m, 16 Jul 2009.

Type locality. Chatham Rise, New Zealand.

Distribution. Found throughout New Zealand, from the Kermadec Ridge in the northeast to the Macquarie Rise in the south; 350–1680 m (Figure 23).

Description. Morphology is massive, often growing around dead coral branches (Figure 20A & B). The holo- type is 120 mm long × 90 mm wide × 70 mm high (Figure 20A). Surface is pock-marked and irregular, granular, like sandpaper. Singular or small clusters of uniporal oscules, 1–2 mm in diameter, are sparsely scattered over the upper surface of the sponge (Figure 20C). Dense clusters of uniporal pores, 0.2–0.6 mm in diameter, are present on the lower sides of the sponge (Figure 20D). Texture is firm, compressible. Colour in ethanol is bright turmeric yellow throughout.

Skeleton. Cortical skeleton is 250–500 µm thick and consists of an interwoven mesh of tangential microxeas and microrhabds (Figure 21B), which form a regular pattern around circular pores that are 100–200 µm in diameter. Choanosomal skeleton has a single layer of dichotriaenes just below the cortex, cladomes uppermost (Figure 21A). Oxeas are relatively sparse and more-or-less radially arranged. Microxeas and oxyasters are abundant and scattered throughout the choanosome (Figure 21C).

Spicules (Figure 22; Table 7). Megascleres —oxeas (Figure 22A) vary in size from short and slender to moderately long and stout. Most oxeas are relatively straight; 1426 (647–2373) × 38 (11–130) µm (n = 94). Dichotri- aenes (Figure 22B) have a short rhabdome that is less than half the cladome width; 463 (219–807) µm long × 895 (551–1313) µm wide (n = 62). The tip of the rhabdome is often bluntly rounded. Clads are stout, flattened and leaf-like with very short protoclads and long deutroclads. The tips of the clads are often sharply curved towards the centre of each pair of deutroclads. Protriaenes or triaenes with a mixture of non-birfurcated and birfurcated clads may be present.

Microscleres —microxeas (Figure 22C), short, straight and stout with strongly tapered tips; 129 (52–250) × 10 (6–16) µm (n = 80). Microrhabds (Figure 22D), small, smooth and faintly centrotylote with bluntly rounded tips; 31 (12–78) × 5 (3–8) µm (n = 83). Oxyasters (Figure 22E), moderately sized with numerous, long, conical rays that are sparsely spined. Oxyaster rays look smooth under light microscopy (400×); 19 (6–31) µm in diameter (n = 82).

Etymology. Named after the distinctive, brilliant turmeric colour of the sponge.

Remarks. The distinctive colour of Penares turmericolor sp. nov. differentiates it from all other New Zealand species of Penares . This species also has very wide dichotriaene cladomes (882 (67–1313) µm), comparable only to P. kermadecensis sp. nov. and P. orbis sp. nov.

Penares turmericolor sp. nov. shares a common spicule complement of oxeas, dichotriaenes, oxyasters, microxeas and microrhabds with P. aureus sp. nov., P. deformis sp. nov. and P. okokewae sp. nov. Oxyaster size and morphology can be used to differentiate P. turmericolor sp. nov. from P. deformis sp. nov. and P. okokewae sp. nov. Penares turmericolor sp. nov. has smaller oxyasters (19 (6–31) µm) than P. deformis sp. nov. (40 (22–78) µm) and P. okokewae sp. nov. (32 (25–50) µm). In addition, the oxyaster rays of P. turmericolor sp. nov. are lightly spined, whereas the oxyaster rays of P. deformis sp. nov. are only faintly acanthose, and the oxyaster rays of P. okokewae sp. nov. are smooth. None of the other South Pacific species possess oxyasters.

Kelly & Buckeridge (2005) identified several Palaeogene microfossil spicules from the interstices of sponge body fossils from the Tutuiri Greensand, Chatham Island, that are comparable to the short-shafted sub-phyllodichotriaenes of P. palmatoclada Lévi, 1993 (Kelly & Buckeridge 2005; Fig. 4D). However, while the cladomes of these microfossil triaenes do look remarkably like those of P. palmatoclada and P. turmericolor their overall width is considerably smaller, at around 250 µm. In dimensions, the dichotriaenes of P. turmericolor sp. nov. are similar to those of the new species P. mollis sp. nov. (Table 3) and P. aureus sp. nov. (Table 4), but they are completely different in cladome morphology and geographic distribution.