Abstract
The genus Aspidoscopulia previously known from a single Recent representative from the Indonesian Archipelago has been found to have wide West Pacific distribution, being present in large numbers in French and Russian collections. Two new Recent species of this genus, i.e. A. bisymmetrica sp. n. and A. tetrasymmetrica sp. n., are here described and illustrated. The genus is also found to have fossil record in the late Paleocene-early Eocene of the Chatham Islands, New Zealand. The generic diagnosis of Aspidoscopulia is emended due to new findings. Branching pattern and metamery occurring in these sponges are also discussed.
NSTL