Spongia virgultosa (Schmidt, 1868)

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 : 35-37

Spongia virgultosa (Schmidt, 1868) Fig. 29

Euspongia virgultosa Schmidt, 1868: 4.

Description.

Growth form encrusting (ca. 2-5 cm in diameter), rarely massive (up to 10-15 cm), usually emerging from the substratum only with inhalant and exhalant funnels (5-15 mm high, 3-5 mm in diameter). Sponge surface irregularly conulose (1-2 mm high, 24 mm apart). Colour from light to very dark brown. Primary fibres (40-50 µm) cored by mineral debris, extremely rare and often absent; secondaries extremely variable (10-50 µm).

Habitat.

Cave, coralligenous community, detritic/muddy bottom, lagoon, artificial reef, Posidonia oceanica meadow, epibiotic on Pinna nobilis . Generally covered by epibionts in turbulent superficial water. Bathymetric range 1-50 m.

Mediterranean caves.

La Catedral, J2, Blue, Meda Petita, Petita de la Vaca, Misidacis caves (Balearic Sea); Galatea*, Falco*, Bisbe* caves (Sardinian Sea); Bear, Troc, Endoume, Figuiers, Trèmies caves (Gulf of Lions); Punta Carega, Manara, Zoagli-Chiavari caves (Ligurian Sea); Azzurra, Isolotto, Mago, Lacco Ameno, Misteri, Gaiola, Tuffo Tuffo, Mitigliano caves (Central Tyrrhenian Sea); Porto Cesareo Cave (Ionian Sea); Croatian caves (Northern Adriatic Sea); Pagliai, Viole, Pecore, Arenile, Coccodrillo, Rondinelle, Bue Marino, Piccolo Ciolo, Marinella, Regina caves (Southern Adriatic Sea); Trypia Spilia, Farà, Ftelio caves (Aegean Sea) ( Sarà 1960a, b, 1961a, 1964a; Labate 1965; Rützler 1966; Boury-Esnault 1971; Pouliquen 1972; Pansini et al. 1977; Pulitzer-Finali and Pronzato 1980; Pansini and Pronzato 1982; Bibiloni et al. 1984a, 1989; Balduzzi et al. 1989; Corriero et al. 2000, 2004; Martì et al. 2004; Pronzato and Manconi 2011; Bakran-Petricioli et al. 2012; Cadeddu 2012; Gerovasileiou and Voultsiadou 2012).