A guide to the deep-water sponges of - NMFS Scientific Publications ...

110. Haliclona (Haliclona) urceolus (Rathke and Vahl, 1806)
Description. This sponge is stalked and oviform or
stalked tubes (de Weerdt, 1986a). Aleutian Island specimens
are stalked tubes; stalk approximately 1 cm long,
overall length to about 10 cm. Color in life is light yellow
with a darker stalk.
Skeletal structure. There is a unispicular reticulation
of oxeas (178–280 µm).
Zoogeographic range: Uncommon. In Alaska –
central Aleutian Islands (first record in the North Pacific
Ocean). Elsewhere – Arctic Ocean (Kara Sea) and
North Atlantic Ocean (North Sea).
Habitat. In Alaska – attached to cobbles at depths near
490 m. Elsewhere – found on sediment covered stones
in sheltered habitats at depths between 5 and l000 m.
Photos. 1) Preserved (frozen) specimen collected at
a depth of 490 m in the central Aleutian Islands. Grid
marks are 1 cm 2 . 2) Same specimen as in photo 1 (right)
in situ.
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