Morphological description (show/hide)
| massive, irregular, type specimen 54 mm (l) _ 23 mm (w), prostrate mass | | white | | single, 1.5 mm (d), on short extension (fistule) | | no observations | | conulose, conules ~1 mm (h), 1.5�2.5 mm apart, conules cover most of surface, but smooth in some places | | fibrous, very irregular reticulation of primary and secondary fibresm distinction between primary and secondary fibres difficult in many placesm in other places, primary fibres prominent, distinct, usually penetrate ectosome, 80�120 �m (d), cored with abundant foreign bodies (exclusively spicules), run more or less parallel to one another, separated ~560 �m, secondary fibres smaller, ~40 �m (d), contain no or very few foreign spicules, primary fibres arranged in very loose mesh, in other places, additional fibres arranged in regular bundles, bundles ~20�80 �m (d), fibres uncored, collagenous filaments present, ~1 �m (d), choanocyte chambers ~30�40 �m (w) | | crust of spicules, ~90 �m thick, pore openings ~80 �m (w) | | nil | | nil |
|
| Specimen QM G311562 was identified in the field as I. spiculosa (by P. Bergquist). Examination of this specimen shows the presence of some small sand grains coring the fibres, the fibres of this specimen are orange. The original description by Hentschel (1912) does not indicate any colouring of the fibres, he describes the sponge as being whitish only. Further, the distinction of I. spiculosa from other species of Ircinia Nardo, 1833 is based by Hentschel on the absence of any foreign matter other than spicules, he stated repeatedly that this species contains spicules exclusively. |