[A]
Microscleres are Toxas ONLY. |
californiana de Laubenfels, 1932 |
Sponge:
Encrusting to 8 mm thick.
Color: Alive: Red, orange-brown, yellow-tan, salmon- red, terra cotta, mustard. Preserved: white to light brown, orange.
Spicules: Megascleres:
(1) Subtylostyles -thin:
90 - 225 um.
x 2 - 8 um.
(2) Subtylostyles-thick:
200 - 240 um.
x 14 - 36 um.
Microscleres:
(1) Toxas:
26 - 165 um.
Skeleton:
Thick Styles to Subtylostyles in ascending echinated tracts joined by cross spicules.Thin Styles to Subtylostyles at surface and scattered within.
Distribution: Southern to Northern California.
Depth: Intertidal to deep water, 90 m, depending on which form (see note below).
Note: If the megascleres are double the size range or greater = Clathria (Microciona) pennata. The latter has been collected by Bakus and Green from depths of 51 -90 meters. The de Laubenfels variety appears to be more common intertidally (Bakus ,1966). More recent study suggests that there may be considerable variation in this species. See Lambe, 1895, de Laubenfels, 1927, Bakus, 1966, Bakus & Green,1987. Was Ophlitaspongia pennata.
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Microscleres other than Toxas Only.
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