Diving into the unknown: fourteen new species of haplosclerid sponges (Demospongiae: Haplosclerida) revealed along the Peruvian coast (Southeastern Pacific) Author Bispo, André 0000-0003-4025-6839 Museu Nacional, Departamento de Invertebrados, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Quinta da Boa Vista, s / n, CEP 20940 - 040, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil & https: // orcid. org / 0000 - 0003 - 4025 - 6839; afelipebispo @ gmail. com Author Willenz, Philippe 0000-0003-4127-9346 Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences, Taxonomy and Phylogeny, Rue Vautier 29, B- 1000, Bruxelles, Belgium & Université Libre de Bruxelles, Laboratoire de Biologie Marine, Avenue F. D. Roosevelt, 50, B- 1050 Bruxelles, Belgium & https: // orcid. org / 0000 - 0003 - 4127 - 9346; philippe. willenz @ naturalsciences. be Author Hajdu, Eduardo 0000-0002-8760-9403 Museu Nacional, Departamento de Invertebrados, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Quinta da Boa Vista, s / n, CEP 20940 - 040, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil & https: // orcid. org / 0000 - 0002 - 8760 - 9403; eduardo. hajdu @ gmail. com text Zootaxa 2022 2022-01-06 5087 2 201 252 journal article 2766 10.11646/zootaxa.5087.2.1 9bad3816-a4ab-406c-886d-b0e0f83ddf3f 1175-5326 5824017 4B472D23-386F-497F-A6DA-8867C081D6D8 Haliclona ( Halichoclona ) multiosculata sp. nov. ( Figure 8 , Table 3 ) Holotype . MNRJ 13682 (Vouchers: RBINS-IG 32241 -POR 12080, MHNG 85920 )— La Cabrillera , Isla Foca , Piura Region ( 05°12’09.30” S , 81°12’39.90” W ), depth 15 m , coll. Y. Hooker , M. Rios & Ph. Willenz ( 11/XII/2009 ). Diagnosis. Only Haliclona in the Eastern Pacific with the combination of encrusting habit, with abundant oscula usually aligned in rows on ridges, rough surface, firm consistency and light pink colour alive, isotropic skeleton of oxeas 87–135 µm in length. Description ( Fig. 8A, B ). Encrusting, up to ca. 6 mm thick, covering large areas up to 15 x 20 cm . Surface rough. Oscula abundant, circular, ca. 1–4 mm wide, frequently aligned in rows on ridges. Consistency firm. Colour in life light pink. Skeleton ( Fig. 8C, D ). Ectosome a dense isotropic reticulation, with some discernible triangular to squared meshes, slightly confused. Choanosome of the same structure as the ectosome, but denser. Spongin scarce, only found at the nodes of the reticulation. Spicules ( Fig. 8E, F ). Oxeas, slender, subtly bent at centre, sharp hastate points, 87– 116 –135 x 1.9– 6.2 –8.7 µm (n = 45 x 45). FIGURE 8. Haliclona (Halichoclona) multiosculata sp. nov. (MNRJ 13682, holotype). A–B, holotype alive; C, skeletal architecture in transverse ground section; D, ectosomal skeleton architecture in tangential ground section; E–F, oxeas in SEM. Scale bars: A, 5 cm; B, 1 cm; C, 200 μm; D, 100 μm; E–F, 20 μm. Ecology. Found on rocky substrate around 15 m depth, associated with many ophiuroids. Water temperature during collection was 21° C. Distribution ( Fig. 3C ). Only known from its type locality, Isla Foca ( Piura Region , Peru ). Etymology. The epithet “ multiosculata ” is used as a noun in apposition that refers to the abundance of oscula in the new species (L. multi = much). Remarks. There are no clear relatives of H. ( Halich. ) multiosculata sp. nov. in the Eastern Pacific ( Table 3 ). Haliclona agglutinata is most similar to the new species with a choanosomal skeleton of comparable architecture, oxeas within a similar size range (102–140 µm), and colour alive off-white with pinkish areas ( Desqueyroux-Faúndez & van Soest 1997 ). Nevertheless, the new species is encrusting, much thinner than H. agglutinata , has oscula commonly aligned on ridges, and skeleton without paucispicular tracts. Other Eastern Pacific Haliclona spp. that might be related to the new species regarding its skeleton architecture and/or shape are H. ( Halich. ) conica ( Thiele, 1905 ) , H. ( Halich. ) gellindra , H. (Re. ) sordida ( Thiele, 1905 ) , and H. ( Halich. ) thielei . However, the new species differs from H. ( Halich. ) conica for the latter’s conical habit ( 15 mm thick) and longer oxeas (165 x 10 µm) ( Thiele 1905 ). In addition, H. ( Halich. ) gellindra can also be distinguished by its fragile consistency, fewer and smaller oscula, and occurrence restricted to the Temperate Northeastern Pacific, along California and the coast of the Gulf of California ( de Laubenfels 1932 ; Dickinson 1945 ). H. ( Re. ) sordida considerably approaches the new species by its encrusting habit ( 5–7 mm thick), smooth to irregular surface, and grouped oscula. However, H. ( Re. ) sordida ‘s smaller oscula ( 0.5 mm wide), its skeletal architecture with loose ascending tracts, and longer oxeas (200 x 9 µm) differentiate the two species ( Thiele 1905 ; Hajdu et al. 2013 ). Finally, H. ( Halich. ) thielei also has an encrusting shape, but it has distinct colour alive (blue, grey or violet-grey), and never has oscula aligned on ridges ( Thiele 1905 ; Hajdu et al. 2013 ).