A new Devonian heteractinid sponge from southwestern Ellesmere Island, Arctic Canada
The new heteractinid astraeosponge Stellarispongia aspera is described from the Devonian Emsian part of the upper Blue Fiord Formation. The sponges were collected from near Sor Fiord in southwestern Ellesmere Island, District of Franklin. The new sponge is included in the Astraeospongiidae and is a thick walled, saucer shaped form, which has moderately large radiating canals that are cross-connected by intermediate sized, small canals. Spicules are octactine based, of at least three ranks, and larger spicules have robust short rays. Spicules are irregularly oriented in a felted arrangement.