Topsent, 1913
Species Overview
Lissodendoryx lundbecki Topsent, 1913 is a light-coloured, leaf-shaped or branching-anastomosed sponge with smooth surface. Oscules and pores are at opposite sides. It is similar to L . diversichela , but differs in details of spiculation, having only two chela categories and smaller tornotes (microscopic examination). It is a deep water species occurring in the North Atlantic and the Arctic.
Taxonomic Description
Colour: Greyish yellow (alcohol).
Shape, size, surface and consistency: Leaf-shaped, or branching erect with tightly anastomosed branches. Size up to 7 cm. Oscules and pores on opposite sides, numerous. Consistency fragile, crumbly.
Spicules: Megascleres : Ectosomal tornotes: 182-210 µm; acanthostyles, densely spined: 224-330 µm.
Microscleres : Arcuate isochelae in two size categories: 56-70 µm and 22-25 µm; sigmas: 20-25 µm.
Skeleton: Ectosomal tornotes tangentially arranged. Choanosomal skeleton in the interior isotropic, towards the periphery anisotropic reticulation of bundles of acanthostyles.
Ecology: Deep water, 72-324 m.
Distribution: Norway; North Atlantic, Arctic.
Etymology: Named after Willy Lundbeck, author of several Boreo-Arctic sponge monographs.
Type specimen information: The type is in the Monaco Museum, with a slide in the Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, Paris.
Remarks
This species is similar to L . diversichela and it is not entirely impossible that both may prove to be synonymous, when more specimens will come available. For the time being the differences are emphasized: L . diversichela has three sizes of chelae, two of sigmas, and the tornotes are longer.
The North Atlantic Lissodendoryx species are suspect Lissodendoryx because of the entirely spined styles and inequiended or mucronate tornotes; true Lissodendoryx , like L . isodictyalis , tend to have smooth or only sparingly spined styles and tylotes with prominent heads for tornotes. For the time being we prefer to keep them together, but eventually they may be distributed over different genera.
Source: Arndt, 1935.