Species Overview

Niphates lunisimilis (de Laubenfels, 1930).

SPONGE:

Shape: Massive subspherical or encrusting
Size_Thickness: 5 -- 30 mm
Color_Alive: Pale buff; lavender; pink; pale rose-grey
Color_Preserved: Pale buff
Consistency: Tough spongy

HABITAT:

BenthicRegion: Marine: Intertidal to Subtidal: Attached to corraline algae or encrusting
Distribution: Southern California and Central California

Surface:

Texture: superficially smooth

Skeleton:

Composition: Silicate
Architecture: Anastomosing spongin fibers filled with Oxeas. Ascending fibers 70 - 100 µm cored with many rows of spicules. Transverse fibers 70 - 100 µm. cored with many rows of spicules. Isodictyal secondary reticulation.

Oscula:

Rims: crater-like with raised rims or flush]
Diameter: --4 mm
Distribution: distance apart > 1cm

Choanosome:

Architecture: Anastomosing spongin fibers filled with Oxeas. Ascending fibers 70 - 100 µm cored with many rows of spicules. Transverse fibers 70 - 100 µm

Megasclere:

Shape: Oxeas
Length: 70--160 µ
Width: 3.3 - -10.6 µ
Range: Usually the actual range is narrow but the mean may fall within the range listed