Ircinia retidermata 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 : 23

Ircinia retidermata Pulitzer-Finali and Pronzato, 1980 Fig. 18

Ircinia retidermata Pulitzer-Finali and Pronzato, 1980: 150.

Description.

Growth form massive, rounded, ca. 10 × 5 × 5 cm. Consistency firm and elastic. Colour in the preserved state is from beige to mid brown; living specimens appear a little bit darker. Surface conulose with blunt conules (ca. 1-2 mm high, 1-3 mm apart) connected with each other by a raised, honeycombed reticulation with meshes (ca. 80 µm in diameter) quite conspicuous at bare eye, made of fine particles of sand and a concentration of filaments. Oscules (2-5 mm in diameter) scattered, with elevated margins. Skeleton reticulate with meshes 200 to 600 µm in diameter. Main fibres (50-80 µm in thickness) not fasciculate, moderately cored by foreign matter (sand and spicule fragments). Secondary fibres (20-80 µm thick) irregularly trellis-like, free of inclusions. Filaments ca. 5 µm thick.

Habitat.

Cave, muddy and rocky bottom. Here we report a new record from a submerged cave in the NW-Sardinian karst. Bathymetric range shallow water up to 80 m.

Mediterranean caves.

Falco* Cave (Sardinian Sea) ( Cadeddu 2012).