Hexadella crypta Reveillaud, Allewaert, Perez , Vacelet, Banaigs and Vanreusel, 2012

Manconi, Renata, Cadeddu, Barbara, Ledda, Fabio & Pronzato, Roberto, 2013, An overview of the Mediterranean cave-dwelling horny sponges (Porifera, Demospongiae), ZooKeys 281, pp. 1-68 : 45-46

Hexadella crypta Reveillaud, Allewaert, Perez, Vacelet, Banaigs and Vanreusel, 2012 Fig. 39

Hexadella crypta Reveillaud, Allewaert, Pérez, Vacelet, Banaigs and Vanreusel, 2012: 238.

Description.

Growth form encrusting, cushion-like without lobes, small size, thicker than that of Hexadella pruvoti . Colour bright yellow to paler in vivo, dark purple in ethanol after releasing a purple fluid. Surface entirely striated by irregularly crossing collagen ous reinforcements with some scattered, pointed conules; inconspicuous inhalant apertures and rare oscules. Ectosome rigid with collagen fibrils, nondetachable from the choanosome. Choanosome lacunar with large clusters of spherulous cells bearing large inclusions of microgranules and microgranular cells. Choanocyte chambers eurypylous, sac-shaped (ca. 30 × 20 µm in diameter). Bacteria (one type only) in the mesohyl. Aerophobins 1, 2 and isofistularin compounds with medium-high natural toxicity.

Habitat.

Cave. Bathymetric range 10 m.

Mediterranean caves.

Corail Cave (Gulf of Lions) ( Reveillaud et al. 2012).

Remarks.

See the original description for more details and figures ( Reveillaud et al. 2012).