Species Overview

Cliona californiana (de Laubenfels, 1932).

SPONGE:

Shape: Massive - Encrusting - Penetrating
Size_Thickness: -- 6.4 cm
Color_Alive: Brown to bright yellow dark brown

HABITAT:

Benthic Region: Marine: Intertidal to very low intertidal: Boring into substrate
Distribution: Southern California to Northern California
Habitat: Boring into calcareous substrates with oscules and pores penetrating calcareous substrate

Ectosome:

Architecture: scattered Tylostyles
Spicules: Tylostyles

Choanosome:

Architecture: scattered spicules

Megasclere:

Shape: Tylostyles
Length: 190 -- 340 µ
Width: 2.0 -- 13.6 µ
Note: Spicule range to 80 µm in any given specimen.

Skeleton:

Composition: Silicate
Architecture: scattered spicules