Species Overview

Kirkpatrickia topsenti (de Laubenfels, 1930).

SPONGE:

Shape: Thickly encrusting to massive
Size_Thickness: --3 cm
Size_Area: 7.5 x 5.0 x 5.0 cm
Consistency: Spongy
Color_Alive: Salmon-pink dull orange-red dull orange-brown burnt sienna or pale terra cotta reddish-orange

HABITAT:

Benthic Region: Marine: Intertidal to Subtidal
Distribution: Southern California and Central California

Megasclere:

Shape: Styles - Subtylostyles
Length: 222 -(293|320)- 398 µ
Width: 6.5 -- 7.0 µ

Megasclere:

Shape: Tylotes - Subtylotes
Length: 195 -(247|274)- 333 µ
Width: 4.5 -- 7.0 µ

Surface:

Texture: Superficially smooth
Contour: numerous tubercles less than 1 mm high

Ectosome:

Dermal membrane: thin with tangentially arranged Tylotes. (originally designated as Tornotes)
Architecture: dermis is underlain by upright or random Tylotes-Subtylotes which also occur interstially in the choanosome

Choanosome:

Architecture: multispicular sinuous tracts of Subtylostyles to Styles

Megasclere:

Shape: Subtylostyles
Length: -250- µ
Width: -11- µ

Megasclere:

Shape: Tylotes
Length: - 200- µ
Width: - 8 - µ

Megasclere:

Shape: Rhaphides ( = immature Styles that look like Rhaphide)
Length: - 180 - µ
Width: - 2 - µ

Skeleton:

Composition: Silicate
Architecture: multispicular sinuous tracts of Subtylostyles to Styles