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Homoschleromorpha > Homosclerophorida > Plakinidae > Plakortis halichondrioides -“light brown morphotype”

Observed Characteristics:

Color:

orange
cinnamon-tan

Morphology:

encrusting
massive

Consistency:

soft
tough

Locations:

Bahamas
Colombia

Species Description and Notes

Notes: Light reddish (tan), thick and large, soft cushions with a few, slightly elevated, large oscules. Interior color is slightly lighter. Consistency is soft but grainy. In contrast to the dark brown morphotype of this species, it does not exude a dark ink when handled and fixed. It has the same larger spicules (usually >150 µm) of the dark morphotype, but we have not carried out detailed comparisons to see if they differ in size or arrangement. It remains to be seen whether the dark and light morphotypes are different species, and to compare these with the several new species of Plakortis described for the Western Atlantic by Moraes & Muricy (2003), Ereskovsky et al. (2013) and Domingos et al. (2013).

Author Reference: (Wilson, 1902)

Link: World Porifera Database