Twelve new species of two genera Smenospongia and Cacospongia (Demospongia: Dictyoceratida: Thorectidae) from Korea

Abstract

The genus Smenospongia in subfamily Thorectinae (Thorectidae) erected by Wiedenmayer (1977) is not well known throughout the field. Wiedenmayer defined that the genus is characterized by an aerophobic chemical properties, fibres conspicuously stratified but not pithed. The skeleton is characterized by wide, trellised primary systems, well developed secondary fibre reticulum, and distinctly honeycombed surface (Wiedenmayer, 1977). Nine reported Smenospongia species are as follows: S. aurea Hyatt, 1875 from Bahamas, S. cerebriformis Duchassaing and Michelotti, 1864 and S. musicalas Duchassaing and Michelotti, 1864 from Virgin Island, S. nuda (Levi, 1969) from Vema Seamount (Atlantique sud), S. echina (de Laubenfels, 1934) from West Indian region (Puerto Rico), S. dysodas (de Laubenfels, 1954) from Palaus, S. conulosa Pulitzer-Finali, 1986 from West Indian, S. coreana Lee and Sim, 2005 from Korea, and S. ramose Sandes and Pinheiro, 2014 from Brazil (Van Soest et al., 2015). The colour of Smenospongia coreana (Cacospongia coreana at the World Porifera Database) from Korea changed very slowly to almost dark brown. This species is not determined as Cacospongia due to its changed colour (Fig. 13A, B). Sandes and Pinheiro (2014) reported one new species, Smenospongia ramosa from Brazil, and compared it with all other reported Smenospongia species. The genus Cacospongia in subfamily Thorectinae (Thorectidae) was erected by Schmidt (1862). Diagnosis of the genus is that the skeleton is comprised of fine laminated, primary and secondary fibres. Primary fibres are cored, and secondary fibres are uncored. The secondary reticulum is well developed relative to primary fibre (Bergquist, 1980). Polejaeff (1884) is reported 15 species in the genus Cacospongia, but most of them are moved to other genera except three species, C. amorpha, C. intermedia, and C. levis. Von Lendenfeld (1889), Schmidt (1864) and Burton (1952, 1959) reported Cacospongia species. Recently, Cacospongia mycofijiensis (Kakou et al., 1987) was reported from the Fiji.