| Demospongiae |
Poecilosclerida |
Microcionidae |
Clathria (Clathria) faviformis |
8 |
Orange-yellow irregular masses with rugose surface, often growing among algae in vertical cliffs. It may be confused with massive or cavity-filling specimens of Agelas citrina Alcolado, 1987. It is more crumbly than A. citrina. |
Lehnert & van Soest, 1996 |
orange,orange-yellow,spherical,massive,soft,crumbly |
| Demospongiae |
Poecilosclerida |
Microcionidae |
Clathria (Microciona calla |
5 |
Red, thick encrustation on gorgonian branches. Surface looks pierced by numerous, contiguous perforations. Transparent skin outlines oscules and exhalant canals. |
(de Laubenfels, 1934) |
orange,red,encrusting,soft |
| Demospongiae |
Poecilosclerida |
Microcionidae |
Clathria (Microciona) bulbotoxa |
1 |
Thinly encrusting bright red orange, with slighlty evident exhalant canals in a star pattern. The spiculation consists of stout, curved tylostyles 350-480 x 10-15 µm, straight subtylostyles 275-450 µm, toxa bulging towards the center (hence the name bulbotoxa) 45-180 µm, and twisted isochelae 12-15 µm. It is difficult to distinguish it in the field from other bright orange encrusting sponges such as Clathria spinosa Wilson, 1902 or Timea ?micraster (Lehnert & Heimler, 2001). |
van Soest, 1984 |
red,orange,encrusting,soft |
| Demospongiae |
Poecilosclerida |
Microcionidae |
Clathria (Microciona) echinata |
1 |
Originally placed under genus Axociella. Also known as Clathria (Microciona) simpsoni van Soest, 1984. Bright red vases, single or in groups, with the outer surface very spiny. May be confused with Mycale laxissima (Duchassaing & Michelotti, 1864), but the latter is usually dark purple, is much more mucous, and has a different spicule complement. |
(Alcolado, 1984) |
orange,vase,tough |
| Demospongiae |
Poecilosclerida |
Microcionidae |
Clathria (Microciona) spinosa |
8 |
Bright orange encrustations with smooth to spiny surface. Frequently found under platy corals, with their oscules showing up at the coral plate edge, in a way similar to Mycale laevis (Carter, 1882). |
Wilson, 1902 |
red,orange,encrusting,soft |
| Demospongiae |
Poecilosclerida |
Microcionidae |
Clathria (Thalysias) ?minuta |
1 |
Originally described under he genus Rhaphidophlus, as R. minutus. Thinly encrusting, orange encrustations, with a rather transparent but similarly colored skin that conform a vein pattern of the exhalant canal system that opens into oscules. Spicules are styles with slightly mucronated heads, subtylostyles in two categories, chelae and small toxa. Originally described as red. Identity pending thorough comparison with other thinly encrusting Clathria such as C. venosa (Alcolado, 1984) and C. hymedesmioides Van Soest, 1984. For Bahamian waters, C. ?venosa and C. ?minuta have similar spiculation. For co-existing specimens, we have assigned to C. ?venosa those with a whitish transparent skin over a red tissue, and to C. ?minuta those with the skin of the same color of the internal tissue (orange in this case). |
(van Soest, 1984) |
orange,encrusting,soft |
| Demospongiae |
Poecilosclerida |
Microcionidae |
Clathria (Thalysias) ?schoenus |
7 |
Placed also under genera Aulospongus, Microciona, Rhaphidophlus and Thalysias. Also known as Clathria raraechelae (van Soest, 1984). Thin encrustations to tangled branches with transparent skin and red and yellow interior (often speckled). Exhalant canals in a star pattern centering in the oscules are evident. Could be confused with Clathria venosa (Alcolado, 1984)(=Microciona microchela Hechtel, 1965), but the latter has a white pinkish skin with deep orange interior and the star pattern of canals is much larger. They have also differences in spiculation, the most important being that styles have a smooth head in C. schoenus and a rugose one in C. venosa. The identification is tentative for the Bahamas material because spicule development there is low and not all spicules are present. Southern Caribbean populations have stouter spicules and there is a small category of chelae (=microchela). |
(de Laubenfels, 1936) |
red,white,yellow,orange,brown,cream,cinnamon-tan,orange-yellow,encrusting,branching,soft |
| Demospongiae |
Poecilosclerida |
Microcionidae |
Clathria (Thalysias) ?venosa |
6 |
Also placed under genera Microciona, Thalysias and Rhaphidophlus. Also known as Microciona microchela Hechtel, 1965, Clathria hechteli Hooper, 1996 and Rhaphidophlus oxeotus van Soest, 1984; erroneously synonymyzed to Clathria schoenus (de Laubenfels, 1936). Encrustations with a transparent to whitish/pinkish dermis and a dull red interior. The dermis outlines a wide star pattern of exhalant canals radiating from the oscules. Spicules are styles with slightly mucronated heads, subtylostyles in two categories, chelae and small toxa. The identification for The Bahamas material is tentative because not all spicule types or C. venosa are present; southern Caribbeaen populations have a small category of chela (microchela); also missing in the Bahamas are intermediate-size toxa, and the long, oxeote toxa. The whitish color of the dermis and its conspicuous vein pattern of the surface plus structural style spicules with mucronated heads (in addition to chelae and toxa) may distinguish it from other Clathria species. But it could also belong to Clathria minuta van Soest, 1984, also pictured in this catalogue. For co-existing specimens, we have assigned to C. ?venosa those with a whitish transparent skin over a red tissue, and to C. ?minuta those with the skin of the same color of the internal tissue (orange in this case). |
(Alcolado, 1984) |
red,white,cream,pink-lilac,encrusting,soft |
| Demospongiae |
Poecilosclerida |
Microcionidae |
Clathria (Thalysias) virgultosa |
8 |
Previously known as Clathria juniperina (Lamarck, 1814). Red, erect to repent branches, single or ramified; scattered oscules; surface nodulose. There are thickly encrusting specimens in high energy environments (shallow wave-exposed or in tidal currents). |
(Lamarck, 1814) |
red,orange,white,branching,encrusting,tough |
