Thenea grayi var. sulcata Wilson, 1925

Van Soest, Rob W. M., 2024, Correcting sponge names: nomenclatural update of lower taxa level Porifera, Zootaxa 5398 (1), pp. 1-122 : 63

Thenea grayi var. sulcata Wilson, 1925

Thenea grayi var. sulcata Wilson, 1925: 280 (no illustration).

The variety was described by Wilson for a small specimen collected by the Albatross Philippine Expedition Stat. 5178, near Romblon, Tablas Island, Sibuyan Sea, Philippines, 12.7167°N 122.1042°E, depth 134 m (holotype USNM 21357). Several specimens of the typical variety of the species ( Sollas 1886: 183, cf. also Sollas 1888: 65, pl. VI figs. 21–22, originally reported from off Sydney, South East Australia, Challenger Exped. Stat. 164c, 34.3167°S 151.5167°E, depth 732 m, three syntypes BMNH 1889.1.1.26, cf. Hooper & Wiedenmayer 1994: 437) were also collected by the Albatross Philippine Expedition. The absence of illustrations of the new variety makes it difficult to interpret the differences in the habitus of the two varieties. Spicular sizes were summarized as being generally smaller in the present variety. The rather casual descriptions of the Philippine varieties (the present and the typical variety) and the sympatric occurrence plead against giving much weight to the differences provided by Wilson. Accordingly, I propose to merge the two with Thenea grayi Sollas, 1886 .