Morphological description (show/hide)
| Stalked, cup-shaped growth form, usually with thick, uneven, crenulated margins, smooth interior surface, mostly smooth exterior surface of vase, but often with lateral growths and projections on exterior surface. Growth variants common, sometimes with 2-4 concentric, successively smaller cups growing inside each or, with or without buttressed exterior projections near base. Margins and stalk typically relatively thick, up to 14mm and 32mm maximum widths, respectively. Although growth variants may occur within metres of each or, re seems to be a trend for specimens to become thinner, more elongate (more vasiform), and less convoluted with increasing depth . | | Live colouration clearly dependent on well-be | | Oscules not visible optically, although small, evenly distributed pores (0.8-1.8mm diameter) seen under higher magnification, usually situated on points of surface conules. In some cases distribution of pores coincides with distribution of parasitic barnacles, whereas or openings appear to be true inhalant or exhalant pores. | | Consistency always stiff, firm, but flexible, with roughened, sand-paper texture produced by spicules protruding slightly from dermal skeleton. Surface always optically smooth, microscopically hispid and microconulose, frequently raised into regular or irregular ridges or rounded digitate projections. | | Axial skeleton compressed, composed of very close-meshed plumose (or vaguely plumo-reticulate) multispicular fibres, mostly running longitudinally along core of lamellae, occupying majority of lamella diameter. Only few interconnecting uni- or paucispicular tracts observed at core, but se mostly obscured by close-meshed reticulation. Disjunction between longitudinally orientated axial skeleton and vertically disposed extra-axial skeleton only noticeable very close to periphery. Choanosomal fibres lightly invested with spongin, with few extra-fibre megascleres. Mesohyl matrix lightly invested with collagenous spongin, with abundant microalgae scattered throughout. | | No specialized skeleton on surface, but with prominent, relatively closely meshed, diverging plumose brushes of choanosomal oxeas protruding through ectosome for short distances (up to 150ï¾µm maximum), producing microscopic surface conules. Subdermal skeleton more-or-less plumose, with more closely meshed multispicular skeletal tracts than on ectosome. Tracts may or may not be interconnected by paucispicular transverse fibres, but usually hidden by diverging spicules. | | Megascleres unmodified oxeas, symmetrical, thick, curved centrally, with mostly fusiform sharply pointed ends, sometimes with very slightly stepped points but this feature never well developed as in or species. Structural megascleres coring fibres slightly larger than those scattered between fibres. Holotype: 155-259.1-344 x2.7-8.6-16.0Or 133-267.4-361 x 2.0-11.4-19.5 | | nil. |
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