Neofibularia hartmani - (0928) - Australes - Rapa

Neofibularia hartmani OTU QM0928

Biemnida Biemnidae

External characters

Thickly lobate, massive, bulbous-encrusting sponge with lobes/bulbs fused to adjacent bulbs, between 20-55mm diameter, up to about 40mm high, spreading about 120mm across dead coral substrate.

Colour

Pale yellow-brown or khaki-brown alive (Munsell 2.5Y 8/10), often partially silt-covered, dark brown in ethanol.

Skeletal Characters

Oscules Large oscules situated on apex of bulbs, 2-8mm diameter, with slightly raised rims, contracting to smaller diameter when preserved.
Texture Compressible, slimy, highly toxic mucus (topical dermatitis and local pain)
Surface_Ornamentation Well developed sculpturing, consisting of close-set, interconnected microconules, forming web-like striations on surface.
Ectosomal_Skeleton Ectosome membranous, lightly arenaceous, with abundant heavily pigmented spongin, but without specialised spicule skeleton. Irregular plumose tufts of choanosomal strongyles protrude through surface, paratangential or erect on surface, more-or-less corresponding to position of surface conules; ectosome rarely intact in preserved material.
Choanosomal_Skeleton Skeletal architecture reticulate, with differentiated primary (multispicular) and secondary (uni- and paucispicular) spongin fibres. Primary fibres usually fully cored with choanosomal strongyles, 50-90µm diameter; secondary fibres with fewer spicules packed abreast, 15-40µm diameter. Fibre reticulation produces elongate, oblong or oval meshes, 35-140µm diameter, with moderate quantities of collagen and foreign particles, and abundant microscleres. Choanocyte chambers not observed, obscured by foreign debris, microscleres and loose megascleres.
Megascleres Choanosomal strongyles long, thick or thin, slightly curved, symmetrical or asymmetrical (218-(257.3)-280 x 3-(5.7)-9).
Microscleres Microxeas clearly divided into two sizes, both relatively long, stout, widest at midsection (I:28-(38.0)-51 x 0.5-(0.9)-1.2; II:69-(79.1)-94 x 0.8-(1.6)-2.0). Raphides abundant, long, straight, hair like (79-(86.5)-115 x 0.2-(0.6)-0.8). Sigmas incompletel
Mudmap_Author J Hooper
Mudmap_Editor K Hall

Distribution

In French Polynesia: Society and Austral islands.

Pacific Ocean: Fiji, Australia, New Caledonia, Micronesia

Ecology and habitat

In a mudy bay, on dead corals.

J Hooper (2014). QM0928 Neofibularia hartmani Hooper & Lévi, 1993. In: Hall, K.A. & Hooper, J.N.A. (2014) SpongeMaps: an online community for taxonomy and identification of sponges. (Available at http://www.spongemaps.org).