Ircinia lapillus, Sim & Lee & Kim, 2016

Sim, Chung Ja, Lee, Kyung Jin & Kim, Hyung June, 2016, Nine new species of genus Ircinia (Demospongiae: Dictyoceratida: Irciniidae) from Korea, Journal of Species Research 5 (3), pp. 483-497 : 484-485

4. Ircinia lapillus n. sp. ( Fig. 5 )

Type specimen. Holotype (NIBRIV0000554223), Korea:

Munseom, Seogwipo­si , Jeju­do, 15 Aug 2015, Kim BI, by SCUBA , Depth 25 m, deposited in the NIBR .

Description. Thick irregular mass, size up to 8 × 8 × 3.5 cm. Surface, covered with filamentous membrane. Conules round, but sharply branched at side of sponge. Oscules, 3 mm in diameter, opened on top of sponge. Colour in life yellowish brown. Texture soft and compressible.

Skeleton: Primary fibres, 200­400 μm in diameter, cored with very large sands, and have loose fascicles. In two types of secondary fibres, secondary web, 800-1100 μm in diameter, have large perforation, and branch type, 250­400 μm in diameter. Filaments, 5-8 μm in diameter, terminal knobs, 15 μm in diameter.

Etymology. This species is named after the pebble­like large sand cored in primary fibres of this sponge.

Remark. This new species is similar to Ircinia munsumensis n. sp. in sponge shape, but differs in skeletal structure. Primary fibres of this new speces are cored with larger sands than I. munsumensis ’s.

Figures

Fig. 5. Ircinia lapillus n. sp. A, entire animal; B, C, skeletal structure in conules; D, cored primary and secondary web; E, choanosome skeletal structure; F, skeletal structure near surface; G, choanosome thick skeletal structure; H, choanosome skeletal structure. Scale bars:A =2 cm, B, C=200 μm, D-H=100 μm.