Evolutionary study of genus Metania GRAY, 1867 (Porifera - Spongillidae) 1. The new species

In the first paper of a series, the author describes two new species of genus Metania GRAY, 1867, starting translation into English and publication of most significant parts of her "Livre-Docência" thesis. In that thesis genus Metania was redefined and had its evolutionary inter and intrageneric lines traced upon study particularly of large collections of amazonian specimens

New freshwater sponges from Amazonian waters

Four species of freshwater sponges have their first register of occurrence for Amazonian waters upon specimens collected from Culuene and Sete de Setembro Rivers (Xingú basin), Tapirapés River (Araguaia basin) and Cuieiras River. Trochospongilla pennsylvanica (POTTS 1882) and Trochospongilla variabilis BONETTO & EZCURRA DE DRAGO (1973) occurred as minute specimens inside large sponges of the genus Metania GRAY (1867) or of the genus Drulia GRAY (1867). T. pennsylvanica has its first register of occurrence for the Neotropical region. Spongilla spoliata n. sp. resembles Spongilla inarmata ANNADALE (1918) and Spongilla aspinosa POTTS (1880) but is readily separated from these two species on account of the characteristic spines on its microscleres. Radiospongilla amazonensis n. sp. differs from its congeners by the particular characteristics of its megascleres and gemmoscleres

Evolutionary study of the freshwater sponge genus Metania GRAY, 1867: III. Metaniidae, new family

The gondwanic genus Metania GRAY, 1867 of freshwater sponges is redefined in this, the third paper of a series concerned with a revision of the Neotropical species of this genus. Newly detected characteristica indicate a relationship between Metania and the marine genus Acarnus GRAY, 1867 of poecilosclerid sponges. Characteristica similar to those in Metania were also detected in the genera Corvomeyenia WELTNER, 1913, Acalle GRAY, 1867 and Drulia GRAY, 1867. The genera Metania, Corvomeyenia, Acalle, and Drulia are transferred from the family Spongillidae GRAY, 1867 into the new family Metaniidae, based upon an initial analysis of their shared characteristics

Evolutionary study of the genus Metania GRAY, 1867 (Porifera: Spongillidae): II. Redescription of two neotropical species

Metania reticulata (BOWERBANK 1863) and Metania spinata (CARTER 1881) have their status confirmed, their synonymy enlarged and their redescription based upon study of new specimens collected mainly from Amazonian waters. This work, together with the first one of this series (VOLKMER-RIBEIRO 1979) dedicated to the revision of the genus Metania GRAY, 1867 of freshwater sponges, demonstrates that several characters can be picked out which may be considered as specific for the neotropical material due to their singleness and repeated occurence

Oncosclera - a new genus of freshwater sponges (Porifera - Spongillidae) with redescription of two species

A new genus of freshwater sponges consisting presently of two species is established. The two species are redescribed and compared to several other species which have been tentatively referred to genus Stratosþongilla but which may, pending further studies, be included in the new genus

On Metania spinata (CARTER, 1881) and Metania kiliani n. sp.: Porifera, Metaniidae VOLKMER-RIBEIRO, 1986

Recent surveys on freshwater sponges at the very north and south of Brazil yielded specimens of the genus Melania which possessed the peculiar second kind of spiny megascleres described for M. spinata (CARTER, 1881) but did not show the anisochela series of microscleres described by VOLKMER-RIBEIRO (1984) for that species. A renewed comparative study with the syntypic series of M. spinata took to the selection of lectotype and paralectotypes, the redescription of the species and the description of a new species M. kiliani. Only M. kiliani n. sp. has a second class of microcleres made up of anisochelas. A new key is also proposed to sort out the five species of Metania now ascribed to the Neotropical Region

The freshwater sponges in some peat-bog ponds in Brazil

A freshwater sponge community composed of five South American species is described. They inhabit forest peat-bog ponds recently studied in northern and southeastern Brazil. Spongillite deposits ("Kieselgur") containing spicules of the five species formed in the ponds in southeastern Brazil. Dosilia pydanieli n. sp. is described and Corvomeyenia thumi (TRAXLER 1895: n. comb.) is redescribed. The genus Corvomeyenia WELTNER 1913, with a Neartic/Neotropical distribution, is redefined and has a taxonomic key presented for its three species

A freshwater sponge-mollusk association in Amazonian waters

The association of Eupera sp. (Sphaeriidae-Pelecypoda) with several species of freshwater sponges is reported for River Juruá, Brazil, this being the first report of association of a mollusk with freshwater sponges