Euspongia irregularis Von Lendenfeld, 1886

Van Soest, Rob W. M., 2024, Correcting sponge names: nomenclatural update of lower taxa level Porifera, Zootaxa 5398 (1), pp. 1-122 : 16

Euspongia irregularis Von Lendenfeld, 1886

Euspongia irregularis Von Lendenfeld, 1886: 485 ; 1889: 245, pl. 12 fig. 9, pl. 13 figs. 1, 2, 4–5, pl. 21 figs. 8–10, pl. 22 figs. 1, 11, 17, pl. 29 fig. 1.

The species was described by Von Lendenfeld from southern Australian localities, Cape Vincent and Port Jackson, but also from Fiji and New Zealand, with numerous syntype specimens in BMNH and AM, and slides in ZMB. Von Lendenfeld (1886) distinguished four varieties, to which he added another five in 1889 (and Whitelegge 1901: 96 added a tenth), but these authors omitted to indicate a nominotypical variety. Hooper & Wiedenmayer (1994: 392) noted the absence of a nominotypical variety but did not assign one. I propose Euspongia irregularis var. silicata Von Lendenfeld as the nominotypical variety, as it is the first mentioned variety, to be renamed E.i. var. irregularis (ICZN art. 47.1).

The name is a junior primary homonym of Euspongia officinalis var. irregularis Schulze (1879a: 619 , pl. XXXV fig. 5, described from Lesina, Croatia in the northern Adriatic, approximate coordinates 43.12°N 16.7°E, type material not identified). Below, this is proposed to be a junior synonym of Spongia (Spongia) officinalis Linnaeus, 1759 . Since both taxa officinalis var. iregularis Schulze, 1879 and irregularis Von Lendenfeld, 1886 are currently assigned to Spongia (Spongia) the junior homonym irregularis Von Lendenfeld, 1886 must be replaced (ICZN art. 59.1). I propose Spongia (Spongia) vonlendenfeldi nom.nov., named after Robert Von Lendenfeld. The nomen novum could perhaps be the name of the first mentioned variety ‘ silicata ’, but Von Lendenfeld (1886: 545) also described a different species Euspongia silicata (= Leiosella silicata ), making the replacement confusing. Wiedenmayer (1989: 125) synonymized Euspongia irregularis Von Lendenfeld with Spongia (Spongia) hispida Lamarck, 1814 , which is thus the senior synonym of the new name.