Hymedesmia zetlandica is a species of demosponge in the family Hymedesmiidae. It is the type species of the genus Hymedesmia.
Distribution This species was described from Shetland, United Kingdom where it was dredged by Mr George Barlee.Bowerbank, J.S. (1866). A Monograph of the British Spongiadae. Volume 2, pages 152-3 (Ray Society: London): i-xx, 1-388.Bowerbank, J.S. (1874). A Monograph of the British Spongiadae. Volume 3, pages 72-3, plate XXIX (Ray Society: London): i-xvii, 1-367.
Description This sponge has short acanthostyles with robust spines, rather different to many other species in the genus Hymedesmia. The skeleton spicules are parallel-sided tylotes with the ends swollen in a way more characteristic of the subgenus Lissodendoryx (Ectyodoryx) than most other species currently included in Hymedesmia.Van Soest, R.W.M. (2002). Family Hymedesmiidae Topsent, 1928. Pp. 575-593. In: Hooper, J.N.A. & Van Soest, R.W.M. (eds). Systema Porifera, a guide to the classification of sponges. 2 volumes. Kluwer Academic / Plenum Publishers, New York. 1708 + xlviii. ISBN 978-1-4615-0747-5, pages 580-582. The microscleres are chelae, curious spined chelae and numerous thin sigmata, which are in bundles.
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