Topsentia indica Hentschel, 1912

Putra, Singgih Afifa, Ambo-Rappe, Rohani, Jompa, Jamaluddin & de Voogd, Nicole J., 2024, Preliminary study of marine sponges (Porifera) in the littoral of Spermonde Archipelago, Indonesia, ZooKeys 1208, pp. 275-313 : 275-313

Topsentia indica Hentschel, 1912

Fig. 18

Description.

Only two species of Topsentia are distributed in Indonesia, i. e., Topsentia dura (Lindgren, 1897) and Topsentia indica Hentschel, 1912 . Topsentia dura had further illustrations and spicule measurements provided by a previous study ( Alvarez and Hooper 2011). These species are massive, of hard consistency with skeletons made of a confused mass of oxeas of similar dimensions, not clearly differentiated into size classes. Our specimen shows similar characteristics with the specimen of Hentschel (1912).

Distribution and ecology.

Previously recorded from Aru Islands ( Hentschel 1912). This is first record from the Spermonde Archipelago, Langkai Island; reef flat.

Figures

Figure 18. Topsentia indica Hentschel, 1912 a habitus in situ at Langkai Island, the Spermonde Archipelago (photograph by NJdeV) b SEM images of the spicules.