A guide to the deep-water sponges of - NMFS Scientific Publications ...

75. Tedania (Tedania) dirhaphis Hentschel, 1912
Description. This sponge is irregularly massive-lobate,
often with dactylate processes bearing circular oscula on
top. The surface is smooth. The consistency is soft and
elastic. Height and width are to 20 cm. Color in life is
yellow to golden yellow; brown after freezing.
Skeletal structure. Styles are smooth (238–565 × 9–18
µm). Ectosomal tylotes have slightly acanthose ends
(215–487 × 5–8 µm). Microscleres are rhaphides in two
size categories – large rhaphides (200–400 µm) and
small rhaphides (45–180 µm).
Zoogeographic distribution. North and West Pacific
Ocean. Uncommon. In Alaska – central Aleutian Islands
and Bering Sea (Pribilof Canyon). Elsewhere – Sea of
Okhotsk, Pacific Coast of Kuril Islands, and South China
Sea.
Habitat. In Alaska – attached to cobbles at depths between
100 m and 341 m. Elsewhere – reported at depths
between 4 and 550 m.
Remarks. Tedania dirhaphis was originally described
by Hentschel (1912) from shallow Indonesian waters.
Koltun (1959) reported the same species from the Sea
of Okhotsk and the Kuril Islands in the North Pacific
Ocean and the Alaskan specimens conform perfectly
to Koltun’s decription. The Alaskan specimens also
conform to the original description (p. 45 and pl. XIX,
fig. 20) in spicule complement, growth form, and color
(Hentschel, 1912) and differ from the Indonesian specimens
in size only (somewhat larger). Accordingly, we
report this species as T. dirhapsis sensu Koltun, 1959,
but caution that given the extremes in zoogeography,
additional taxonomic work on this species is warranted.
Photos. 1) Specimen collected at a depth of 100 m
in the central Aleutian Islands. Grid marks are 1 cm 2 .
2) Preserved (frozen) specimen collected at a depth of
341 m in Pribilof Canyon, Bering Sea. Grid marks are
1 cm 2 . 3) Same specimen as in photo 1 in situ with a
shortspine thornyhead (Sebastolobus alascanus) at left.
The separation between the red laser marks is 10 cm.
91