Species Overview

Clathria (Clathria) prolifera (Ellis & Solander, 1786).

SPONGE:

Shape: Encrusting when immature. Made up of anastomosing branches when mature
Color_Alive: Red orange brown

HABITAT:

Benthic Region: Marine: Attached to Floating Docks
Distribution: Central California. Introduced

Skeleton:

Composition: Silicate

Ectosome:

Architecture: Smaller Styles to Subtylostyles grouped at surface.

Choanosome:

Architecture: Ascending plumose tracts of large styles to Subtylostyles with terminal tufts that extend beyond the surface. Acanthostyles sparsely echinating tracts.

Megasclere:

Shape: Acanthostyle
Length: 80 - -90 µ
Width: 7.0--8.0 µ

Megasclere:

Shape: Style to Subtylostyle
Length: 155 - -175 µ
Width: 3.0- -3.5 µ

Megasclere:

Shape: Style to Subtylostyle with microspined heads
Length: 180- -225 µ
Width: 10.0- -12.5 µ

Microsclere:

Shape: Palmate Isochelae]Length

Microsclere:

Shape: Toxa
Length: 15 -- 100 µ