Seven species of Porifera belonging to the genus Tethya (Demospongiae Hadromerida) have been collected on the coral reef of Laing Island (Bismarck Sea, Papua New Guinea). Three new species, T. boeroi, T. densa and T. pulchra, are described and for the other species, T. microstella Sara, T. robusta Bow., T. seychellensis Wright and T. viridis Baer, a redescription with additional data is given. One small specimen, probably not fully developed, is described as Tethya sp. Field notes on the ecology and biology of these species are also reported. |
