Species Overview

Polymastia pacifica Lambe, 1894 [of Green & Bakus, 1994].

SPONGE:

Shape: Cushion-shaped
Size_Thickness: --6 mm
Consistency: Firm
Color_Alive?: Ectosome: dirty white; Choanosome: tan to white

HABITAT:

BenthicRegion: Marine: Deep water
Depth: 54 --78 m
Distribution: Southern California; western Santa Barbara Channel;Santa Maria Basin

Skeleton:

Composition: Silicate
Architecture: Fleshy - Radiate; radial tracts of spicules

Surface:

Texture: Smooth to hispid; rough to prickly

Ectosome:

Architecture: Cortex 1.5 mm thick. Styles to Sub-tylostyles in radial tracts and protrude from surface]
Color: Dirty white
Spicules: Tylostyles in cortex

Choanosome:

Architecture: Fleshy; with radial tracts of spicules
Color: Tan to white
Spicules: tylostyles in cortex

Megasclere:

Shape: Style
Length: 975 -1087- 1300 µ

Megasclere:

Shape: Style
Length: 590 -703- 770 µ

Megasclere:

Shape: Subtylostyle -Tylostyle (thick)
Length: 250 -434- 650 µ

Megasclere:

Shape: Subtylostyle-Tylostyle (thin)
Length: 88 -143- 244 µ