Deep-sea “ lithistid ” assemblages from the Norfolk Ridge (New Caledonia), with description of seven new species and a new genus (Porifera, Demospongiae) Author Schlacher-Hoenlinger, Monika A. Queensland Museum, PO Box 3300, South Brisbane 4101 (Australia) monikas @ qm. qld. gov. au Author Pisera, Andrzej Polska Akademia Nauk, ul. Twarda 51 / 55, 00 - 818 Warszawa (Poland) apis @ twarda. pan. pl Author Hooper, John N. A. Queensland Museum, PO Box 3300, South Brisbane 4101 (Australia) johnh @ qm. qld. gov. au text Zoosystema 2005 27 4 649 698 journal article 10.5281/zenodo.5393958 1638-9387 5393958 Herengeria vasiformis n. sp. ( Figs 2F ; 10 ; 24 ) HOLOTYPE . — New Caledonian Slope, 22°52’22”S , 167°12’27”E , 340-381 m , RV Alis , 28.VI.2001 , coll. T. Schlacher , Warén dredge ( MNHN DCL 3902 , a fragment of the holotype in QM [G318678s). ETYMOLOGY. — Named for the vase-shaped morphology. OTHER MATERIAL EXAMINED (see Table 1 ). — New Caledonian Slope, 383-407 m (QM G318594). — Éponge, 509-564 m (QM G318699); 508-541 m (QM G318771). DESCRIPTION Growth form Massive cup-shaped sponges with thick walls and ovoid to round cup openings and rounded margins. Specimens are approximately 3 to 4.5 cm high and 4-5 × 3-6 cm wide with an approximately 3 to 4 cm broad base. Colour Dark brown exterior, lighter brown interior in etoh. Oscules Not visible. Texture Hard, stony, brittle. Surface ornamentation Rough. Ectosomal skeleton Contains smooth dichotriaenes perpendicular to the surface and abundant microscleres. The latter forming a crust and consisting of microspinose, often centrotylote, curved microxeas and rhabdlike spirasters. Ostia are 42-53 µm and are sparsely but evenly distributed on the outer surface of the sponge. Ostia are not visible in every specimen thus producing smooth inner and outer surfaces. Choanosomal skeleton Dense skeleton of regular, slightly curved, tripodal dicranoclone desmas. Choanosomal microscleres are typically microspinose spirasters with long, more or less pointed rays and some centrotylote microxeas. Megascleres Dicranoclone desmas consist of numerous mushroom-shaped tubercles, which are in turn covered with numerous, small, low, densely packed tubercles. The latter not obvious in some cases as young desmas are smooth or bear smooth tubercles. Tubercles are more numerous at the articulation points. Articulation of desmas is usually head-to-shoulder or terminal and not very strong: 400-600 µm/40-60µm. Dichotriaenes smooth, with straight tips: 162- 209 µm long × 452-606 µm diameter (cladome). Oxeas: there are some thin long oxeas, but always broken in histological preparations. Microscleres Acanthoxeas (centrotylote, curved): 82.6-111 × 2.37-3.38 µm. Spirasters with slender rays: 14.7-20.5 × 10.1- 12.9 µm. Rhabd-like spirasters: 12.5-17.1 × 3.52-7.14 µm. REMARKS Based on microsclere and desma morphology these specimen undoubtedly belong to the genus Herengeria . Consequently, a redefinition of the genus is required based on the very different morphology of this new species compared to the only known type species, H. auriculata (see above), which is a massive sponge with lateral inhalant lamella. By comparison the new species is a vaseshaped sponge with thick walls. This new species differs also in having thicker microxeas, shorter, more massive and less regularly developed rhabdlike spirasters, and in having smaller spirasters with slender rays.