Observed Characteristics:
Color:
- red
- orange
Morphology:
- encrusting
Consistency:
- soft
Locations:
- Bahamas
Species Description and Notes
Notes: 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 Placospherastra micraster (Lehnert & Heimler, 2001), both pictured here.
Author Reference: van Soest, 1984
Link: World Porifera Database
Tissue and Spicule Images
Images
(Microciona) bulbotoxa
- Location: Bahamas, Hogsty Reef
- Photographer: Sven Zea