Cliona lobata Hancock 1849

Cliona lobata Hancock, 1849 Cliona lobata Hancock 1849: 341–342, pl. XII fig. 4, 8. Cliona lobata – Alander 1942: 80. ? Cliona howsei Hancock, 1849 – Levinsen 1893: 415 fig. 27. Material examined (2 specimens) SWEDEN • 1 spec.; 57.3042° N, 11.9321° E; 51– 49 m depth; 31 May 2007; Artprojektets Skagerrak-inventering leg. [KA68]; dredge; P082-111026-1; voucher: GNM Porifera 554 • 1 spec.; 58.1352° N, 11.2512° E; 51–49 m depth; 27 Aug. 2007; Artprojektets Skagerrak-inventering leg. [SK67]; dredge; P082-111026-2; voucher: GNM Porifera 555. Description The specimens had a boring morphology growing in shells, but papillae protruding from them. The colour in situ is unknown and light yellow when preserved in ethanol. Skeleton The skeleton is composed of megascleres, which are tylostyles measuring 230–350×7.5 µm (N=4), and spirasters as microscleres, which may be rare in some individuals, measuring 12.5–17.5µm (N=2) in length. Ecology and distribution The type locality is in the English Channel. However, there are reports from Denmark to South Africa, as well as from the Mediterranean and the Black Sea. Remark The species C. lobata differs from C. celata by several external morphological features, namely smaller and more abundant papillae, and thinner boring galleries. Additionally, C. lobata consistently possesses spirasters, while their presence in C. celata is only documented by Topsent (1900). However, given that C. celata is a species complex (Xavier et al., 2010) in dire need of taxonomic studies, and as spirasters can be rare in specimens of C. lobata, especially in massive morphotypes, it is possible that many specimens identified as C. celata in the past might actually belong to C. lobata.