Hymedesmia zetlandica

Hymedesmia zetlandica
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Porifera
Class:	Demospongiae
Order:	Poecilosclerida
Family:	Hymedesmiidae
Genus:	Hymedesmia
Species:	H. zetlandica
Binomial name
Hymedesmia zetlandica Bowerbank, 1864 [1]

Hymedesmia zetlandica is a species of demosponge in the family Hymedesmiidae. It is the type species of the genus Hymedesmia.

Distribution

This species was described from Shetland, United Kingdom where it was dredged by Mr George Barlee. ^{[2] [3]}

Description

This sponge has short acanthostyles with robust spines, rather different to many other species in the genus Hymedesmia. The skeleton spicules are parallel-sided tylotes with the ends swollen in a way more characteristic of the subgenus Lissodendoryx (Ectyodoryx) than most other species currently included in Hymedesmia. ^[4] The microscleres are chelae, curious spined chelae and numerous thin sigmata, which are in bundles. ^[4]

References

1. Bowerbank, J.S. (1864). A Monograph of the British Spongiadae. Volume 1, page 190, pl. XVIII. (Ray Society: London): i-xx, 1-290, pls I-XXXVII.
2. Bowerbank, J.S. (1866). A Monograph of the British Spongiadae. Volume 2, pages 152-3 (Ray Society: London): i-xx, 1-388.
3. Bowerbank, J.S. (1874). A Monograph of the British Spongiadae. Volume 3, pages 72-3, plate XXIX (Ray Society: London): i-xvii, 1-367.
4. Van Soest, R.W.M. (2002). Family Hymedesmiidae Topsent, 1928. Pp. 575-593. In: Hooper, J.N.A. & Van Soest, R.W.M. (eds). Systema Porifera, a guide to the classification of sponges. 2 volumes. Kluwer Academic / Plenum Publishers, New York. 1708 + xlviii. ISBN 978-1-4615-0747-5, pages 580-582.