Porania

“ Porania ” (Pseudoporania) stormi (Dons 1936)

Pseudoporania stormi Dons 1936: 17 –20, figs 1–3, 4a, 1938: 167

Porania (Pseudoporania) stormi: A.M. Clark 1984: 42, 44, figs. 5B, 7e, 15A–D, 16A, B), Clark & Downey (1992: 212); A.M. Clark 1993: 233.

Taxonomic comments. A.M. Clark (1984: 42) relegated Pseudoporania from genus to subgenus based on shared characters with Porania, including the absence of “superficial” spinules, the open groups of papulae spaced out over wide areas, and the single or few furrow spines arranged in one series transverse to the furrow. However, as outlined by A.M. Clark (1984: 42) there remain several characters that set Pseudoporania apart, including the thickened body wall, a rounded actinolateral fringe and the absence of inferomarginal spination.

Based on inference from our results and A.M. Clark’s (1984) characters it seems unlikely this species should be placed within Porania. Pseudoporania ’s thickened body wall, lack of inferomarginal spination and actinolateral fringe suggests affinities with more Poraniidae bearing similar characters, such as Chondraster or Culcitopsis. However, specimens of Pseudoporania could not examined to verify this hypothesis. We retain Pseudoporania within Porania, following A.M. Clark’s (1984) assignment pending further evidence, including DNA or morphological, particularly skeletal data, which may shed further insight on its position within the Poraniidae.

Included species: Porania (Pseudoporania) stormi (Dons 1936)

Occurrence. Trondheim-Lofoten Island area, Norway to Southwest of Faeroe Islands and SW of Ireland, 300– 770 m.

Specimens examined. None.