the Sponge Guide - www.spongeguide.org

Demospongiae > Poecilosclerida > Microcionidae > Clathria (Microciona) bulbotoxa

Observed Characteristics:

Color:

red
orange

Morphology:

encrusting

Consistency:

soft

Sample 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

 

Images

Clathria (Microciona) bulbotoxa


Location: Bahamas, Hogsty Reef
Photographer: Sven Zea