A new genus and species of deep-sea glass sponge (Porifera, Hexactinellida, Aulocalycidae) from the Indian Ocean

Abstract

New hexactinellid sponges were collected from 2589 m depth on the Carlsberg Ridge in the Indian Ocean during deep-sea dredging. All fragments belong to a new genus and species, Indiella gen. n. ridgenensis sp. n., a representative of the family Aulocalycidae described here. The peculiar features of this sponge, not described earlier for other Aulocalycidae, are: longitudinal strands present in several layers and epirhyses channelization.