Coelosphaera (Coelosphaera) koltuni sp. nov. (Porifera: Demospongiae): a new species from South Orkney Islands, Antarctica

Abstract

In this work, we describe a new sponge species belonging to the genus Coelosphaera Thomson, 1873. It was collected during an Argentinean Summer Antarctic Research Cruise onboard the Research Vessel “Puerto Deseado” in March 2014, near South Orkney Islands (Antarctica), 60° 53′ S 42° 35′ W, 487-m depth. Coelosphaera (Coelosphaera) koltuni sp. nov. is a globular, fistular and hollow-shaped sponge, with significantly larger megascleres (almost twice the length) than other Antarctic and New Zealand Coelosphaera species. We provide comparative data of all the described Coelosphaera species, especially those from nearby regions.