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Demospongiae > Hadromerida > Clionaidae > Cliona sp.-"orange crust"

Observed Characteristics:

Color:

orange

Morphology:

encrusting

Consistency:

hard
tough

Sample Locations:

Bahamas

Species Description and Notes

Notes: Encrusting and excavating sponge. Orange incrustation with large oscules, no papillae. Should not be confused with co-occurring Cliona delitrix Pang, 1973, also pictured here, which show elevated papillae even in fully encrusting individuals. Spicules are close to C. dioryssa (de Laubenfels, 1950, as Spirastrella; tylostyles and rather stout spirasters and deriatives), which is described from Bermuda (see also Rützler, 1974) as ragged coalescing encrustations not larger than a few cm, with minute and contractile oscules. Also needs to be compared with co-occurring C. varians (Duchassaing & Michelotti, 1864) (pictured here).

Images

Cliona sp.-"orange crust"


Location: Bahamas, Stirrups Cays, N Berry Islands
Photographer: Sven Zea

Location: Bahamas, Stirrups Cays, N Berry Islands
Photographer: Sven Zea