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INTRODUCTION
As already emphasized for other invertebrates, the distribution of calcareous sponges seems to be directly linked with the presence of specialized taxonomists in this group (e.g. Wörheide & Hooper, 2003; Klautau & Valentine, 2003; Klautau et al., 2004; Rapp, 2006; Lanna et al., 2007). In Italy, despite the presence of a well-known group of sponge taxonomists, there is a low number of papers focused on this sponge class, thus, a low number of such records are reported (40 out of a total of 509 sponge species) (Pansini & Longo, 2008). Moreover, the last paper containing the description of a new calcareous sponge species refers to Sarà & Gaino (1971).
With the aim to improve the knowledge of this little studied group along the Italian coast, in this paper is described a new Leucosolenia (Calcarea: Calcaronea) species collected from a pond included in the 'Laghetti di Marinello' Natural Reserve (southern Tyrrhenian Sea) (38°08[variant prime]31.30''N 15°03[variant prime]10.61''E).
The genus Leucosolenia, erected by Bowerbank, 1864 comprises 'Leucosoleniidae in which the skeleton can consist of diactines, triactines and/or tetractines, without a reinforced external layer on the tubes' (Borojevic et al., 2000; 2002). It comprises less than 50 living species distributed worldwide (van Soest et al., 2008). All need thorough revision to resolve the cosmopolitan cryptic species complexes (Borojevic et al., 2002).
Five species of Leucosolenia, L. botryoides (Ellis & Solander, 1786), L. complicata (Montagu, 1818), L. cyathus Haeckel, 1870, L. parthenopea Sarà, 1953 and L. variabilis Haeckel, 1870, have been reported for the Mediterranean Sea (Breitfuss, 1935; Burton, 1963; van Soest et al., 2008). Four species (L. botryoides, L. complicata, L. parthenopea and L. variabilis), are reported from Italian seas (Ligurian Sea, Southern Tyrrhenian Sea, Ionian Sea and northern Adriatic Sea) (Sarà, 1953, 1958, 1960, 1964a,b; Sarà & Siribelli, 1962; Rützler, 1967; Scalera-Liaci et al., 1976; Pronzato & Belloni, 1980-1981; Pansini & Pronzato, 1981, 1982; 1985; Longo et al., 2003) three of which signalled in the southern Tyrrhenian Sea (L. botryoides, L. parthenopea and L. variabilis) (Sarà, 1953, 1958, 1960, 1964b; Pronzato & Belloni, 1980-1981; Pansini & Pronzato, 1982; 1985).
MATERIALS AND METHODS
The specimens were collected...