Morphological description (show/hide)
| Massive, convoluted-lobate, 5 x 5 x 3 cm. | | Yellow-brownish | | bright beige | | Many oscules, 2-5mm diameter, on ridges of the sponge body. Oscules possess a small naked lip. | | Firm but not harsh, slightly translucent surface. | | The surface has characteristic hairy surface extensions, which protrude 1-3 mm above the external surface. | | A dense meshwork of numerous small regular triactines, aligned in such a way that they form an irregular, sometimes sub-hexagonal to hexagonal pattern with their actines. Choanocyte chambers are located in the free space provided within this meshwork, sometimes hexagonal but mostly forming irregular patterns. Larger triactines are scattered and irregularly arranged within the choanosome in moderate numbers, but never reaching the high abundance of small triactines. Small tetractines are not very common and mostly found concentrated in the larger exhalant canals, with their basal triradiate system tangentially aligned to form the walls of canals. Their mostly straight, free apical actine protrudes into the canal. Rare tetractines were also found in the choanosome. | | A dense meshwork of numerous small regular triactines, aligned in such a way that they form an irregular, sometimes sub-hexagonal to hexagonal pattern with their actines. Choanocyte chambers are located in the free space provided within this meshwork, sometimes hexagonal but mostly forming irregular patterns. Larger triactines are scattered and irregularly arranged within the choanosome in moderate numbers, but never reaching the high abundance of small triactines. Small tetractines are not very common and mostly found concentrated in the larger exhalant canals, with their basal triradiate system tangentially aligned to form the walls of canals. Their mostly straight, free apical actine protrudes into the canal. Rare tetractines were also found in the choanosome. | | Larger regular triactines with conical actines, sometimes slightly parasagittal (unpaired actine slightly longer): 300-( 405.5)-490 um x 30-(37 4)-40 um (n=25), smaller regular triactines with conical actines: 100-(118.3)- 134 um x 12-(16.3)-20 um (n=30), few regular conical tetractines with reduced undulated apical actine 95-(105)-120 um x10-(13.1)-16 um (n=25). |
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