Crella (Pytheas) crassa Hentschel 1914

Crella (Pytheas) crassa (Hentschel, 1914)

(Fig. 3 K)

Crella crassa (Hentschel, 1914): Burton 1932: 327. Koltun 1964: 68–69, pl. 12, fig. 25–27.

Crella (Pytheas) crassa (Hentschel, 1914): following subgenus assignment in van Soest 2002f: 561.

Synonymy:

Grayella crassa Hentschel, 1914: 95, pl. 7, fig. 3. Pytheas crassa (Hentschel, 1914): Boury-Esnault & van Beveren 1982: 73–75, fig. 21.

Material. 2 specimens from station 048-1 (SMF 11831, 11832), 602.1 m, 70° 23.94' S, 8° 19.14' W, 12.01.2008.

Description. Massive to digitate elongate sponges overgrowing bryozoans. One specimen light beige, the other light brown. Surface in folds, firm. Choanosomal skeleton of thick plumose tracts of strongyles, running towards the surface. Ectosomal skeleton a poorly organized crust of mainly tangential acanthostyles. Megascleres strongyles 400–505 x 10–15 µm, acanthostyli 140–160 x 10 µm. Microscleres arcuate isochelae 22–28 µm.

Remarks. This species has been reported and figured in detail by Hentschel (1914), Koltun (1964) and Boury- Esnault and van Beveren (1982). Our new specimens are in accordance with the previous reports.