Cacospongia proficens Pulitzer-Finali and Pronzato, 1980

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 : 39-40

Cacospongia proficens Pulitzer-Finali and Pronzato, 1980 Fig. 32

Cacospongia proficens Pulitzer-Finali and Pronzato, 1980: 141.

Description.

Growth form massive at the basal portion with several ascending conical processes each bearing a small apical oscule. Specimen designated as the holotype, measures 6 × 7 cm at the base, and has about ten processes up to 2 cm high, 12-13 mm wide at their base. Consistency soft and easy to tear. Colour in formalin grey, cream internally. Surface conulose with no sand in the dermal membrane. Conules sharp, ca. 0.5 mm high and 1 mm apart. Skeleton network reticulate, irregular, with meshes 200-1100 µm wide, resembling that of Cacospongia mollior . Primary fibres of laminar spongin, branching, not fasciculate (50-100 µm in diameter), tapering (15-20 µm) towards the conule; they contain abundant foreign material consisting mainly of the mostly entire spicules of the associated species of Haliclona ( Reniera ). Secondary fibres (25-80 µm in thickness) of laminar spongin, free from inclusions.

Habitat.

Cave. Bathymetric range 2-15 m.

Mediterranean Caves.

Galatea* Cave (Sardinian Sea); Pagliai, Viole, Cala Sorrentino, Torre Incine caves (Southern Adriatic Sea) ( Pulitzer-Finali and Pronzato 1980; Pronzato and Manconi 2011; Cadeddu 2012).

Remarks.

See remarks in Cacospongia scalaris .