36
R. K. DELL
genus Rossella being proposed for the second species. In 1875 he discussed the genus Rossella, provided more information on R. antarctica
and described further deep sea species from outside the Antarctic.
In spite of the difficulties inherent in work on the systematics of
the group, reports on sponges have been produced by almost every
Antarctic expedition, and the list of contributions is long indeed, the
main authors being: Topsent (1901a, b, 1905, 1907a, b, 1908, 1910,
1912, 1913, 1915, 1916, 1917), Kirkpatrick (1902, 1907a, b, 1908),
Jenkin (1908), Lendenfeld (1908), Schulze and Kirkpatrick (1910),
Hentschel (1914), Dendy (1918, 1924), Brondsted (1928, 1931), and
Tanita (1959).
But two names are prominent amongst the students of the Antarctic
sponges, the British zoologist Burton (1929, 1930, 1932, 1934, 1938) and
the Soviet investigator Koltun (1964, 1969, 1970).
Koltun (1964) recorded the sponges collected during the Soviet
Antarctic expeditions mostly between 1955 and 1958, belonging to the
Tetraxonida and Cornacuspongia. The sponges concerned come also
from the South Orkneys, South Sandwich and Bouvet Islands, and
South Georgia as well as from the Subantarctic islands of Marion,
Crozet, Prince Edward, Kerguelen, Heard and Macquarie. In this
paper Koltun diagnosed 230 species belonging to 98 genera, the two
genera, CEudothenea and Bipcillopsis and 23 species being described
as new.
Koltun (1970) has recorded some 300 species of sponges from the
Antarctic, the islands of the Scotia Arc, Bouvet, Marion, Crozet, Prince
Edward, Kerguelen, Heard and Macquarie Islands. These are divided
amongst the classes as follows :
Calcispongiae
-
8 species ;
Hyalospongiae - 26 species ;
Demospongiae - 260 species.
Like the Arctic, the Antarctic sponge fauna shows a dearth of horny
sponges. The families Geodiidae, Theneidae, Stellettidae and Tethyidae
are either very poorly represented or are completely absent (Burton,
1932). The large glass sponges are, however, abundant, especially
representatives of the family Rossellidae, species of which may grow to
gigantic size, e.g. Scolymastra joubini Topsent, which may attain a
height of 100 cm (Koltun, 1970).
Antarctic sponges occur over wider bathymetric ranges than they do
in other parts of the world. Koltun believes that this is related to the
mixed bottom sediments which provide uniform bottom conditions
over much of the shelf and continental slope. Because there is no
R. K. DELL
genus Rossella being proposed for the second species. In 1875 he discussed the genus Rossella, provided more information on R. antarctica
and described further deep sea species from outside the Antarctic.
In spite of the difficulties inherent in work on the systematics of
the group, reports on sponges have been produced by almost every
Antarctic expedition, and the list of contributions is long indeed, the
main authors being: Topsent (1901a, b, 1905, 1907a, b, 1908, 1910,
1912, 1913, 1915, 1916, 1917), Kirkpatrick (1902, 1907a, b, 1908),
Jenkin (1908), Lendenfeld (1908), Schulze and Kirkpatrick (1910),
Hentschel (1914), Dendy (1918, 1924), Brondsted (1928, 1931), and
Tanita (1959).
But two names are prominent amongst the students of the Antarctic
sponges, the British zoologist Burton (1929, 1930, 1932, 1934, 1938) and
the Soviet investigator Koltun (1964, 1969, 1970).
Koltun (1964) recorded the sponges collected during the Soviet
Antarctic expeditions mostly between 1955 and 1958, belonging to the
Tetraxonida and Cornacuspongia. The sponges concerned come also
from the South Orkneys, South Sandwich and Bouvet Islands, and
South Georgia as well as from the Subantarctic islands of Marion,
Crozet, Prince Edward, Kerguelen, Heard and Macquarie. In this
paper Koltun diagnosed 230 species belonging to 98 genera, the two
genera, CEudothenea and Bipcillopsis and 23 species being described
as new.
Koltun (1970) has recorded some 300 species of sponges from the
Antarctic, the islands of the Scotia Arc, Bouvet, Marion, Crozet, Prince
Edward, Kerguelen, Heard and Macquarie Islands. These are divided
amongst the classes as follows :
Calcispongiae
-
8 species ;
Hyalospongiae - 26 species ;
Demospongiae - 260 species.
Like the Arctic, the Antarctic sponge fauna shows a dearth of horny
sponges. The families Geodiidae, Theneidae, Stellettidae and Tethyidae
are either very poorly represented or are completely absent (Burton,
1932). The large glass sponges are, however, abundant, especially
representatives of the family Rossellidae, species of which may grow to
gigantic size, e.g. Scolymastra joubini Topsent, which may attain a
height of 100 cm (Koltun, 1970).
Antarctic sponges occur over wider bathymetric ranges than they do
in other parts of the world. Koltun believes that this is related to the
mixed bottom sediments which provide uniform bottom conditions
over much of the shelf and continental slope. Because there is no