Pleraplysilla spinifera (Schulze, 1878)
publication ID |
https://dx.doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.281.4171 |
persistent identifier |
https://treatment.plazi.org/id/958B9520-BA8A-A11F-365C-B75432C0C0F9 |
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scientific name |
Pleraplysilla spinifera (Schulze, 1878) |
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Pleraplysilla spinifera (Schulze, 1878) Fig. 14
Spongelia spinifera Schulze, 1878b: 152.
Description.
Growth form encrusting, up to 2 cm thick, as irregular patches (several cm in diameter) characterized by a smooth and conulose mucous surface. Conules very evident, up to 8-10 mm in height. Colour from whitish to very light brown. Consistency very soft. Exhalant and inhalant apertures (up to 1 mm in diameter) irregularly scattered on the surface. Skeleton of dendritic fibres generally arborescent with 2-5 branches. Each fibre with a basal plate strictly adhering to the substrate. Spongin laminated and cored by sand grains and spicule fragments. These stout fibres (1.5-2.0 mm in height) can reach 400 µm in diameter at their base, with a sandy core of 80 µm. Fibres usually light yellow and transparent show, in many cases, a red-brown colour due to microscopic algae.
Habitat.
Cave, rocky/detritic/muddy bottom, red coral bank, coralligenous community, artificial barriers, boulders, Posidonia oceanica meadow. In many cases massive specimens, not over 5 cm in diameter, of this species are epibiotic on gorgonians and Pinna nobilis . Bathymetric range 1-500 m.
Mediterranean caves.
Blava, La Catedral, Blu, Misidacis, Meda Petita, Petita de la Vaca caves (Balearic Sea); Galatea*, Falco*, Bisbe* caves (Sardinian Sea); Béar, Endoume, Figuier, Tremier, Niolon, Bagaud caves (Gulf of Lions); Secca delle Formiche -Vivara Cave (Central Tyrrhenian Sea); Gamberi* Cave (Ionian Sea); Croatian caves (Northern Adriatic Sea); Piccolo Ciolo, Marinella, Principessa caves (Southern Adriatic Sea); Farà, Agios Vasilios, Vouliagnemi caves (Aegean Sea) ( Vacelet 1959; Boury-Esnault 1971; Pouliquen 1972; Pulitzer-Finali and Pronzato 1976; Pulitzer-Finali 1977; Bibiloni et al. 1984a, 1989; Harmelin et al. 2003; Martì et al. 2004; Bussotti et al. 2006; Turon et al. 2009; Pronzato and Manconi 2011; Bakran-Petricioli et al. 2012; Cadeddu 2012; Gerovasileiou and Voultsiadou 2012).
Remarks.
Among the Dictyoceratida, the genus Pleraplysilla has a dendritic not anastomosing skeleton.
No known copyright restrictions apply. See Agosti, D., Egloff, W., 2009. Taxonomic information exchange and copyright: the Plazi approach. BMC Research Notes 2009, 2:53 for further explanation.
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