Penares sphaera
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| Penares sphaera | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Porifera |
| Class: | Demospongiae |
| Order: | Tetractinellida |
| Family: | Geodiidae |
| Genus: | Penares |
| Species: | P. sphaera |
| Binomial name | |
| Penares sphaera (Lendenfeld, 1907) | |
| Synonyms[1] | |
| |
Penares sphaera, the crater sponge, is a deep sea demosponge from southern Africa.
Spicules
This pale sponge has a thick encrusting growth form. It ranges from white to pale peach to light grey. [2][3] It is very hard, almost stony.[2] It does, however, tear easily. The surface looks smooth but has a rough texture.[3] White ringed ostioles are scattered across the surface and may be more clustered in some parts.[2] Oscules are abundant on the upper parts. It may grow to be 110 mm (4.3 in) long and 90 mm (3.5 in) wide.[3]
The following spicules make up the skeleton of this species:[2]
- Dichotriaenes (spicules that branch in pairs) with short rays
- Curved robust oxeas (spicules with pointed ends)
- Curved microxeas (small oxeas)
Skeleton
Dichotriaenes and envelop the surface. The longest rays face inwards. Oxeas and microxeas are scattered in the choanosome. The cortex is made of densely packed microxeas.[2]