A guide to the deep-water sponges of - NMFS Scientific Publications ...
A guide to the deep-water sponges of - NMFS Scientific Publications ...
A guide to the deep-water sponges of - NMFS Scientific Publications ...
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68 Pr<strong>of</strong>essional Paper <strong>NMFS</strong> 12<br />
52. Artemisina sp.<br />
Description. Aleutian Island specimens consist <strong>of</strong><br />
many large rounded lobes growing from a narrow base.<br />
Large lobes <strong>of</strong>ten develop side-branches. Koltun (1959)<br />
described this same species as funnel-shaped, thickly<br />
tabular or massive. The surface is strongly rugose with<br />
a thin ec<strong>to</strong>somal membrane. Circular oscula are flush<br />
with <strong>the</strong> surface. It is s<strong>of</strong>t and elastic but fragile. Size is<br />
large with height <strong>to</strong> 40 cm and width <strong>to</strong> 60 cm. Color<br />
in life varies from yellowish grey, light brown <strong>to</strong> orange;<br />
typically golden yellow color in situ.<br />
Skeletal structure. Ec<strong>to</strong>somal thin styles form a unispicular<br />
reticulation with microscleres scattered in<br />
between. Choanosomal multispicular tracts have large<br />
styles and single spicules. Styles are <strong>of</strong>ten acanthaceous<br />
at <strong>the</strong> base. There are large styles (490–840 × 15–30 µm),<br />
small styles (210–480 × 7–10 µm), palmate isochelae<br />
(12–22 µm), small <strong>to</strong>xa (30–120 µm), and large <strong>to</strong>xa<br />
(280–340 µm).<br />
Zoogeographic distribution. Locally abundant. In<br />
Alaska – central Aleutian Islands. Elsewhere – Arctic<br />
Ocean (Barents, Greenland, Kara, and Laptev seas).<br />
Habitat. In Alaska – attached <strong>to</strong> bedrock, boulders,<br />
and cobbles at depths between 80 and 195 m. Elsewhere<br />
– reported at depths between 18 and 380 m.<br />
Remarks. This is Artemisina apollinis sensu Koltun<br />
(1959). However, A. apollinis was originally described<br />
from near <strong>the</strong> Kerguelen Islands in <strong>the</strong> sou<strong>the</strong>rn Indian<br />
Ocean so conspecificity is unlikely. It is similar in<br />
appearance <strong>to</strong> Mycale loveni with which it co-occurs, but<br />
this species is much more heavily lobed than M. loveni<br />
and narrows <strong>to</strong> a s<strong>to</strong>ut and narrow base. M. loveni is more<br />
massive with a less defineable base. It may be preyed<br />
upon by <strong>the</strong> sea star Henricia sp.<br />
Pho<strong>to</strong>s. 1) Specimen collected at a depth <strong>of</strong> 195 m in<br />
<strong>the</strong> central Aleutian Islands. Grid marks are 1 cm 2 . 2)<br />
Specimen collected at a depth <strong>of</strong> 155 m in <strong>the</strong> central<br />
Aleutian Islands. Grid marks are 1 cm 2 . 3) Specimen<br />
observed at a depth <strong>of</strong> 122 m in <strong>the</strong> central Aleutian<br />
Islands.