Haliclona (Halichoclona) vansoesti n. sp., a new chalinid sponge species (Porifera, Demospongiae, Haplosclerida) from the Caribbean

A new sponge species, Haliclona (Halichoclona) vansoesti n.sp., belonging to the family Chalinidae of the order Haplosclerida, is described from Curaçao and other Caribbean localities. The subgenus name Halichoclona de Laubenfels is for the first time applied to a species of the “fistulosa” group ( “Pellina” of authors), one of eight species groups which came out as monophyletic groups during an earlier phylogenetic analysis of the genus Haliclona. Justification for devoting a separate paper to a single species follows from recent findings of interesting secondary metabolites produced by this sponge. Chemistry and cell biology research necessitates to have a proper name for the species available.