Marine Sponges of Andaman & Nicobar Islands, India

About this book

Sponges in the holdings of the Zoological Survey of India at Calcutta collected from the intertidal zones of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, sublittoral waters of the Andaman Sea and the Bay of Bengal adjacent to the Andaman and Nicobar Islands have been studied comprehensively. The majority of the nearly century old collections belong to the voyages of the R.I.M.S. "Investigator" (1884-1913) and contributions by Dr. S.W.Kemp (1915-30); the rest from the various survey parties of the Zoological Survey of India till the last decade.

A review of the literature indicates a paucity of information on the taxonomy and distribution patterns of the sponges in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. In addition, they are scattered over a century. Hence, in this work, an update with historical review including classificatory account, general morphology and other connected relevant details have been given. Following the classification methods of Hooper and Van Soest, 2002, a taxonomic study of 75 species belonging to 48 genera brought under 35 families is provided.

The description includes original names, synonymy, reference, locality, material examined, morphological characteristics, distribution, remarks and key to different taxa.

Four new species viz. Spirastrella andamanensis sp. nov., Auletta adamanensis sp. nov., Axinella acanthelloides sp. nov. and Spongosorites andamanensis sp. nov. are described.

Eighteen species are new records of occurrence (14 species of Demospongiae, 1 species of Calcarea and 3 species of Hexactinellida) viz. Amorphinopsis foetida, Axinella tenuidigitata. Cliona ensifera, Cliona lobata, Cliona mucronata, Cliona quadrata, Cliona vastifica, Cliothosa hancocki, Mycale (Mycale) crassissima, Phyllospongia foliascens, Spirastrella inconstans, Tethya diploderma, Tethya robusta, Xestospongia testudinaria; Clathrina coriacea; Hyalonema lamella, Hyalonema martabanense and Hyalonema rapa.

Fifteen endemic species of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands are studied and redescribed viz. Bubaris columnata, Calyx clavata, Cliona kempi, Damiriopsis brondstedi, Discodermia gorgonoides, Haliclona (Gellius) megastoma, Kirkpatrickia spiculophila, Monanchora enigmatica, Poecillastra eccentrica, Thenea andamanensis of Demospongiae and Euplectella regalis, Hexactinella minor, Lophocalyx spinosa, Lophophysema inflatum and Semperella cucumis of Hexactinellida.

Contents

Introduction
Topography of Andaman and Nicobar Islands
Material and method
Systematic list of sponges of Andaman and Nicobar Islands

Taxonomic Acount
1. Cinachyra arabica
2. Cinachyra australiensis
3. Paratetilla bacca
4. Tetilla dactyloidea
5. Ecionemia acervus bowerbank
6. Rhabdastrella globostellata
7. Stelletta clavosa Ridley
8. Stelletta purpurea Ridley
9. Stelletta validissima Thiele
10. Erylus lendenfeldi Sollas
11. Poecillastra eccentrica Dendy and Burton
12. Poecillastra tenuilaminaris Sollas
13. Thenea Andamanensis Dendy and Burton
14. Cliona ensifera sollas
15. Cliona kempi Annandale
16. Cliona lobata Hancock
17. Cliona mucronata Sollas
18. Cliona quadrata Hancock
19. Cliona vastifica Hancock
20. Cliothosa hancocki
21. Spirastrella inconstans
22. Spirastrella Andamanensis sp. nov
23. Tethya diploderma Schmidt
24. Tethya repens Schmidt
25. Tethya robusta Bowerbank
26. Discodermia gorgonoides Burton
27. Discodermia papillata carter
28. Theonella swinhoei Gray
29. Petromica massalis Dendy
30. Clathria (Microciona) atrasanguinea
31. Clathria (Thalysias) vulpina
32. Echinodictyum asperum Ridley and Dendy
33. Raspailia (Raspailia) typica Nardo
34. Rhabderemia Prolifera Annandale
35. Kirkpatrickia spiculophila Burton and Rao
36. Psammochela elegans Dendy
37. Damiriopsis brondstedi Burton
38. Iotrochota baculifera Ridley
39. Monanchora enigmatica (Burton and Rao, 1932) n. comb
40. Tedania (Tedania) anhelans
41. Biemna liposigma Burton
42. Mycale (Mycale) crassissima
43. Mycale (Mycale) indica
44. Auletta Andamanensis sp. nov
45. Axinella tenuidigitata Dendy
46. Axinella acanthelloides sp. nov
47. Bubaris columnata Burton
48. Amorphinopsis foetida (Dendy, 1889) n. comb
49. Spongosorites halichondrioides (Dendy, 1905) n. comb
50. Spongosorites Andamanensis sp. nov
51. Haliclona (Gellius) flagellifer (Ridley and Dendy, 1886) n. comb
52. Haliclona (Gellius) megastoma (Burton, 1928) n. comb
53. Gelliodes fibulatus
54. Calyx clavata burton
55. Xestospongia testudinaria
56. Phyllospongia foliascens
57. Clathrina coriacea
58. Pericharax heteroraphis polejaeff
59. Hyalonema aculeatum Schulze
60. Hyalonema affine Marshall
61. Hyalonema indicum Schulze
62. Hyalonema lamella Schulze
63. Hyalonema martabanense Schulze
64. Hyalonema masoni Schulze
65. Hyalonema rapa Schulze
66. Lophophysema inflatum Schulze
67. Pheronema raphanus Schulze
68. Semperella cucumis Schulze
69. Aphrocallistes beatrix gray
70. Aphrocallistes bocagei Wright
71. Aphrocallistes ramosus Schulze
72. Hexactinella minor Dendy and Burton
73. Euplectella regalis Schulze
74. Euplectella simplex Schulze
75. Lophocalyx spinosa Schulze

Summary
Acknowledgements
References

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