Ernstia naturalis, Van Soest & De Voogd, 2015

Van Soest, Rob W. M. & De Voogd, Nicole J., 2015, Calcareous sponges of Indonesia, Zootaxa 3951 (1), pp. 1-105 : 28-30

publication ID	https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.3951.1.1
publication LSID	lsid:zoobank.org:pub:E7007E10-EC53-4B2E-9F9F-26E18B46AD8B
persistent identifier	https://treatment.plazi.org/id/250587A2-A90E-FF88-FF76-1E2AFD1D7DB6
treatment provided by	Plazi
scientific name	Ernstia naturalis
status	sp. nov.

Treatment

Ernstia naturalis View in CoL sp. nov.

Figures 20a–d View FIGURE 20 , 21a–d View FIGURE 21

Leucosolenia coriacea ; Burton, 1930: 2, in part (not Montagu, 1814).

? Clathrina sp. ; Erhardt & Baensch, 1998: 20.

Material examined. Holotype RMNH Por. 9342, Indonesia, Papua, Misool, Raja Ampat, Panah Panah , marine lake, 1.9386°S 130.3744°E, depth 0–2 m, snorkeling, coll. LE Becking , # LE745 /MIS1/ RIMG0679 , 28 May 2011. GoogleMaps

Paratypes ZMA Por. 00136, Indonesia, Nusa Tenggara, Sumbawa, Saleh Bay , anchorage E of Dangar Besar, 8.4254°S 117.7296°E, depth 0–36 m, trawl, coll. Siboga Expedition stat. 313, 14 February 1900 GoogleMaps ; ZMA Por. 00183b, Indonesia, Papua, 1.7083°S 130.7916°E, depth 23 m, trawl, coll. Siboga Expedition stat. 164, 20 August 1899 GoogleMaps ; RMNH 5000 About RMNH Indonesia, East Kalimantan Province, Berau Region, Kakaban island, Kakaban marine lake, 2.4133°N 118.5078°E, depth 0–2 m, snorkeling, coll. L.E. Becking #KKB GoogleMaps / LE 536 , 21/05/2009 ; RMNH 5001 About RMNH , Indonesia, East Kalimantan Province, Berau Region, Kakaban island, Kakaban marine lake, 2.4133°N 118.5078°E, depth 0–2 m, snorkeling, coll. L.E. Becking, #KKB GoogleMaps / LE 537 , 21 May 2009 ; RMNH Por. 9343, Papua New Guinea, E of Wongat Island, Stat. PR53, 5.1353°S, 145.8228°E, depth 20 m GoogleMaps , SCUBA, coll. L.E. Becking, # LE305 /PB174146, 17 November 2012 .

Description. ( Figs 20a–c View FIGURE 20 ) Large, massive cormi made up of closely anastomed but individually distinct tubes. Overall size up to 4–5 cm, tubes 0.3–1.5 mm in diameter. No distinct water collecting tubes, but several large flush oscula are visible in the in situ photo of the holotype ( Fig. 20a View FIGURE 20 ). Color in life, bright yellow ( Fig. 20b View FIGURE 20 ), orangeyellow or brownish yellow. Beige in preserved condition ( Fig. 20c View FIGURE 20 ). Consistency soft.

Skeleton. ( Fig. 20d View FIGURE 20 ) Layers of tri- and tetractines rather dense and thick. Triactines and tetractines in approximately similar proportion (most specimens) or with more triactines (ZMA 00183b).

Spicules. ( Figs 21a–d View FIGURE 21 ) Triactines and tetractines.

Triactines ( Fig. 21a View FIGURE 21 ), with conical actines, 76– 107.5 –168 x 7.5– 9.1 –18 µm.

Tetractines ( Figs 21b–d View FIGURE 21 ), with actines of basal triaradiate system, 84– 109.6 –153 x 6– 8.7 –16 µm, apical actines, thin and sharp ( Figs 21c–d View FIGURE 21 ), 29– 82.4 –147 x 3– 5.3 –8 µm.

Ecology. In marine lakes and on reefs, from the surface down to 36 m.

Distribution. Indonesia, Papua New Guinea; possibly Palau ( Erhardt & Baensch, 1998).

Etymology. Named after our host institute, Naturalis Biodiversity Center, Leiden.

Remarks. Among the Ernstia species reported from the Indo-West Pacific, Ernstia adusta ( Wörheide & Hooper, 1999 as Clathrina ) is the most similar in shape and spicule sizes. However, that species is white, whereas all our specimens of which color information was noted are yellow or yellow-brown in life.

Several specimens were found to contain isolated broken pieces of diactines, but these were insufficiently common to consider them proper to the sponge.