ASCANDRA OCEANUSVITAE SP. NOV.

(FIGS 11, 12; TABLE 5)

Z o o B a n k r e g i s t r a t i o n: u r n: l s i d: z o o b a n k. org:act: 05205855-E843-4E38-B3EF-3DA6548EA5B2.

Diagnosis: Ascandra whose cormus is ramified, having only few anastomoses. Water-collecting tubes are not present. Skeleton composed of fusiform diactines, frequently with one tip larger, two size categories of triactines and of tetractines.

Etymology: For the Vie Océane Association, one of the institutions responsible for organizing the taxonomy course that allowed the collection of the sponges published here. The name is Latinized to oceanus (=ocean) and vita (=life).

Type locality: Passe de l’Hermitage, La Réunion, Indian Ocean.

Ty p e m a t e r i a l: H o l o t y p e – U F R J P O R 8 9 4 4 (= 171109- PAE2 - TP19). Paratype – UFRJPOR 8946 (= 171109-PAE2-TP21). Other material – UFRJPOR 8947 (= 171109- PAE2 - TP22). Passe de l’Hermitage Reef, La Réunion, Indian Ocean, coll. T. Pérez, 9 November 2017, 18– 20 m depth.

Colour: White in life and light brown or grey in ethanol (Fig. 11A, B).

Morphology and anatomy: Sponge formed by ramified tubes with few anastomoses and no water-collecting tubes (Fig. 11A, B). The surface of the tubes is hispid because of the presence of perpendicular diactines (Fig. 11C). Aquiferous system asconoid. The skeleton is composed of diactines, two size categories of triactines and tetractines. The larger triactines are rare. Diactines lie perpendicular to the tubes. The small triactines are the most abundant spicules (Fig. 11D).