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Family: Microcionidae
[Clathria schoenus (de Laubenfels, 1936)] |
Bocas Species Database Habitat: Very common species of widespread occurrence on the mangrove roots, and on the seagrass beds. On the seagrass the species forms large ramose bundles with branches anastomosing to other branches, on the roots mostly crusts with little branching. Distribution: Curacao, Bonaire, Pto Rico, Jamaica, Florida, Belize, and Panama. Characteristics: Thinly encrusting (2-4 mm in thickness) to lobate, ramose, palmate or flabellate, with thin branches reaching 10-15 cm in height. Very characteristically colored externally orange to red with yellowhish tinges. Very smooth, somewhat slippery surface. Soft and compressible in consistency. Apertures: compound oscules scattered on the surface slightly elongate of 0.5-1 cm in diameter with a transparent membrane slightly raised over the surface. Skeleton: Spicules are primary styles or subtylostyles straight or slightly curved with a few visible spines at the head (400-500 x 10 μm); secondary styles or subtylostyles smaller than primary ones (150 x 5 μm); echinating achantostyles with small spines, and distributed both on the distal end (50-60 x 5 μm); very thin toxa (150 x Notes: Synonyms: Aulospongus schoenus, de Laubenfels, 1936; Clathria copiosa curacaoensis, Arndt, 1927 (WPD) |