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

61. Monanchora pulchra (Lambe, 1894)
Description. This sponge is flabellate with flattened,
often coalesced branches. It is typically uniplanar in
high current areas and multi-planed, even bushy, in
areas of lower current. The surface is smooth and the
consistency is elastic. Height and width are to at least
50 cm. Color in life is orange, yellow, or brownish
orange.
Skeletal structure. Ectosomal subtylostyles are scattered
without obvious orientation. There are ectosomal
styles to subtylostyles (225–680 × 8–12 µm). Choanosomal
styles to subtylostyles are longer and thicker
(670–990 × 28–40 µm). Isochelae are anchorate (18–22
µm). Sigmas (16–20 µm) are typically present.
Zoogeographic distribution. Locally abundant. In
Alaska – Aleutian Islands. Elsewhere – Pacific Coast of
the Kuril Islands and Pacific Coast of Canada (British
Columbia).
Habitat. In Alaska – attached to bedrock, boulders,
cobbles, and pebbles at depths between 79 and 330 m.
Elsewhere – attached to pebbles and rocks at depths
between 87 and 232 m and at temperatures between
1.8 and 5.3°C.
Remarks. May be preyed upon by the sea star Henricia
sp.
Photos. 1) Fragment of a specimen collected at a
depth of 80 m in the central Aleutian Islands. Grid
marks are 1 cm 2 . 2) Same specimen as in photo 1 in
situ (center) with a lighter-colored specimen (right). 3)
Specimen collected at a depth of 150 m in the central
Aleutian Islands.
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