New species of dictyoceratid sponges from New Zealand: Genus Ircinia (Porifera : Demospongiae : Dictyoceratida)

This paper is the third in a series revising the taxonomy of New Zealand di ctyoceratid sponges (phylum Porifera, class Ceractinomorpha, order Dictyoce ratida). Only one species of Ircinia has previously been described from New Zealand, Ircinia novaezealandiae Bergquist, 1961. Six new species of Ircin ia are added to New Zealand's known fauna. The genus Ircinia contains in ex cess of 40 published species worldwide, although the integrity of some of t hese is uncertain, often because of poor diagoses. The diagnoses of new spe cies reported here provide a model for the morphological descriptions of fu ture species. The subdivision of Ircinia is also considered.