Haliclona sp - (2309) - Societe - Huahine

Haliclona sp. (OTU QM2309) OTU QM2309

Haplosclerida Chalinidae

External characters

massive, subcylindrical.

Colour

light tan brown in life; cream-coloured in ethanol.

Skeletal Characters

Oscules sieve plates present, variable in size, 1–5mm (d).
Texture firm, barely compressible, resilient, friable, chalky, easily broken.
Surface_Ornamentation gritty, sandpapery feel; ectosome easily rubbed away.
Ectosomal_Skeleton not very well distinguished from choanosome; unspecialised; brushes of oxeas penetrate surface.
Choanosomal_Skeleton isodictyal reticulation of oxeas, forming irregular meshes; spongin present at nodes; unispicular tracts ascend to ectosome.
Megascleres oxeas: 3 classes
class 1: stout, medium length, slightly curved, ends sharply pointed, very common, 130–150 × 6 μm;
class 2: slender, strongylote, with one rounded end and other pointed, rarer than class 1 oxea, ~110 × 2 μm;
class 3: small, stout, ends sharply pointed, 40–45 × 2 μm.
Microscleres nil.
Mudmap_Author K Hall
Mudmap_Editor Kathryn Hall

Distribution

In French Polynesia: Society and Tuamotu islands

Ecology and habitat

Outer reef slope and in the lagoon on pinnacles

QM2309 Haliclona sp. (OTU QM2309) . 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).