On open coast. Surface with regular reticulation of multispicular tracts. Surface opaque. Pores closely spaced in areas between tracts. Oscula borne on ridges. |
| Halichondria (Halichondria) panicea
(Pallas, 1766) |
Sponge:
Encrusting, sometimes more massive.
Oscula: with rows of oscules borne on ridges.
Color: Alive: Chrome yellow, yellow-tan, and, in well-lighted situations, olive or green at surface.
Spicules: Megascleres:
(1) Oxeas:
160 -313- 420 um.
x 1 -5- 12 um.
Skeleton:
Typical halichondriid structure, irregular and indistinct meshwork formed of loose bundles of spicules and of individual spicules mixed with occasional tracts.
Distribution: Southern to Northern California.
Depth: Intertidal to deep water, 113 m, the latter reported by Bakus & Green, 1987. On open coast..
Note:May be represented by a number of closely related species. These two species difficult to separate. See page 80 for further comparisons between these species.
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In bays/harbors. Surface with more widely spaced multispicular tracts tending to run parallel to one another. The areas between the tracts are further subdivided by a pattern of overlapping individual spicules. Surface translucent or nearly so. Pores more widely spaced. Oscula scattered.
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| Halichondria (Halichondria) bowerbanki
Burton, 1930 |
Sponge:
Encrusting or, more often, branching or in flattened lobes.
Oscula: scattered. In bays and harbors.
Color: Alive: Yellow-tan, gold, or olive-brown..
Spicules: Megascleres:
(1) Oxeas:
170 - 300 um.
x 5.0 - 12.0 um.
Skeleton:
Typical halichondriid structure, irregular and indistinct meshwork formed of loose bundles of spicules and of individual spicules mixed with occasional tracts.
Distribution: Central California.
Depth: Intertidal. In bays and harbors.
Note:These two species are difficult to separate. See page 80 for further comparisons of these two species.
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